Innovation grants biggest chunk of Tony Evers’ call for workforce funding

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The Workforce Innovation Grant Program was one of the biggest sums Gov. Tony Evers called for in support of state workforce development during his State of the State Address on Tuesday. The governor said he also wanted to invest tens of millions in a worker advancement program and job training for a future clean energy economy.

Evers proposed more than $100 million to continue the Worker Innovation Grant Program, which provides up to $10 million in grants to educational institutions to build up workers to fill in the gap left behind by the pandemic. Over the last two years, the program provided money for technical colleges and high schools to kick off STEM youth apprenticeship programs. The program helped 27 projects across the state plan to address workforce challenges locally and regionally, the governor’s office said.

“We also recognized that we cannot solve our workforce challenges with a one-size-fits-all approach — what Superior needs to support its local workforce and economy might be different from the needs in Platteville and Milwaukee or in La Crosse and Marinette,” Evers said during his speech. “So, we created the Workforce Innovation Grant program and invested in 27 local projects across our state to help develop long-term, locally based solutions that meet the unique needs of our local communities and regions.”

A total of $12 million would go to the Worker Advancement Initiative, which subsidizes employment and skills training opportunities with local employers to unemployed individuals, the governor’s office said. Another $10 million would go to job training and re-employment programs under the Clean Energy Plan, which the state announced in April of 2022. The plan is a way for the state to reduce its dependency on fossil fuels and create up to 40,000 jobs, the governor said.

Clean Wisconsin and RENEW Wisconsin released a study in November that found Wisconsin could transition to 100% carbon-free electricity and net-zero emissions across the state’s economy. Researchers highlighted a potential $16 billion going into Wisconsin’s economy and nearly 70,000 jobs created.

The governor also promised investments in other workforce and economic sectors: A total of $50 million for health care workers, $20 million for the teacher pipeline, $50 million for the Main Street Bounceback Program and $5 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds to support main street revitalization.

The first round of Workforce Innovation Grants was announced in December and July of 2021, the governor’s office said. The state invested around $130 million into the program, and the second round of grants brought the governor’s total investment of ARPA funds to more than $150 million.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau predicted Wisconsin’s budget surplus would reach $7.1 billion by July, the largest surplus in state history.