The Department of Workforce Development announced almost $4 million in Wisconsin Fast Forward worker training grants including funds that will help train health workers in Green Bay.
The grants provide 22 employers with training funds for the in-demand sectors of construction, healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation. Many of the projects include partnerships with community organizations, local employers, and industry associations.
“DWD’s Wisconsin Fast Forward grant program supports employers as they seek to attract, train, and retain a highly skilled workforce,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek.
The Wisconsin Fast Forward standard grant program awards funds to Wisconsin businesses to reimburse costs associated with occupational training. The grants cover training costs for those who are unemployed or underemployed, as well as for incumbent workers. Participants who successfully complete the training program will gain opportunities for employment, higher-level employment, or increased wages.
Newcap Inc. in Brown County. will receive $31,094 to provide Community Health Worker Competency Training to 33 of its workers that will enable them to start a career in community health. Trainees could receive an hourly wage increase of $1.15 or more.
DWD’s Office of Skills Development awarded and administered more than $5.1 million in Wisconsin Fast Forward grants for up to an estimated 2,139 trainees in the 2023 fiscal year. The state launched the Wisconsin Fast Forward program in 2013 to help the businesses train and retain highly skilled workers and address the skills gap. Since then, the grants have provided more than $49 million in funding to 430 employers and trained 34,000 workers.
Grants are open to all industry sectors and range from $5,000 to $400,000 with projects requiring a 50 percent cash or in-kind employer match. Training must provide transferrable skills to incumbent workers, underemployed workers, and 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.
