$20 million in state workforce grants announced

Gov. Tony Evers and the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced $20 million in Workforce Advancement Initiative Grants to 11 regions in Wisconsin. The grants are intended to help reduce barriers to employment for more than 2,300 Wisconsinites. The initiative is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and will offer subsidized employment and skills training opportunities with local employers to Wisconsinites whose previous employment has not come back since the pandemic, as well as those who were not attached to or were not successful in the labor market before the pandemic. DWD will administer the program through local workforce development boards in partnership with community-based organizations, including a focus on those who will be co-enrolled in Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act programs. The counties of Marquette, Sauk, Columbia, Dodge, Dane, and Jefferson will receive a $2 million grant to serve 200 participants through the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin.