The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced almost $1.7 million in Wisconsin Fast Forward worker training grants.
The awards to 14 Wisconsin employers will help train more than 760 workers to meet the needs of the workplace of the future in the construction, customer service, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation sectors.
The grants provide $1,696,808 in funds to reimburse costs of occupational training for unemployed, underemployed, and current workers that qualify trainees for full-time work, higher level of employment, or increased wages.
Some projects include partnerships with community organizations, local employers, and industry associations. DWD’s Office of Skills Development awarded more than $3.9 million in Wisconsin Fast Forward grants training an estimated 2,133 people in 2024.
The state launched the program in 2013 to help the businesses train and retain highly skilled workers and address the skills gap. Since then, these grants have provided more than $51 million in funding to 461 employers and trained 29,700 workers.
Grants are open to all industry sectors and range from $5,000 to $400,000 with projects requiring a 50% cash or in-kind employer match. Training must provide transferrable skills to incumbent workers, underemployed workers, or unemployed people. Employers must meet these minimum requirements to receive funding:
- 85% of the participants must complete training
- 65% must gain employment (the unemployed, hired; the underemployed, promoted)
- 75% of incumbent trainees receive pay raises
The $1,696,808 in Wisconsin Fast Forward grant awards support several projects including $153,930 to Weinbrenner Shoe Company in Wood County. In partnership with Mid-State Technical College, Weinbrenner is training 100 unemployed and 100 incumbent trainees through investment in a new internal training, cross-training, and a supervisor training programs. Incumbent workers could receive an hourly wage increase of $4.83 or more.
And $26,870 to Tri-City Refrigeration in Wood County. In partnership with Johnstone Supply and Ultimate Technical Academy, Tri-City is launching a new plumbing division and expanding its HVAC division by training one unemployed, two underemployed, and five incumbent trainees. Trainees could receive an hourly wage increase of $12 or more.
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