Madison (WQOW) - Governor Walker announced a major
investment Sunday, hoping to match workers with available jobs.
The governor wants to invest nearly $100
million to develop the state's work force, and give workers skills to find
jobs. The first part of the investment would be the creation of a labor market
information system. It uses the department of workforce development to track
job vacancies and link unemployed workers to openings they are qualified to
fill, or suggests training opportunities they can complete to become qualified.
There are also several development programs and initiatives that are included
in the governor's next budget. They call for increasing state aid to technical
colleges to attract more students and help them better compete with four-year
schools.
There are a number of other
incentives and programs announced by the governor. The full press release from the governor's office is posted below:
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Press Release from Governor Scott Walker's
Office: Today, Governor
Scott Walker announced a near $100 million investment of new state funds, with
a total investment of $132 million, in workforce development aimed at equipping
workers with the skills they need to find jobs in the modern workforce. Governor Walker's workforce development plan
includes two parts: separate legislation, which will be introduced ahead of the
budget, and substantial budget investments and reforms.
"Our goal is to help our state
and our workers become among the most prosperous and innovative in the
country. My workforce development plan
is a multi-faceted approach providing flexible solutions from up-to-date labor
market information to getting people on Food Stamps employment training. The plan is designed to help workers get the
skills necessary for jobs available across the state today," said Governor
Walker.
"We will make smart, targeted
investments in our UW-System, the Wisconsin Technical College System, and
traditional K-12 education to ensure our citizens have the skills needed for
the jobs of today and tomorrow," Governor Walker added. "Beyond just traditional educational
investments, my proposal provides worker training grants in areas of immediate
need, including items like training for healthcare-related jobs in rural and
high poverty areas. My workforce
development package provides a hand up to those who are able to work-not simply
a hand out."
As a part of the workforce
development plan, Governor Walker will request passage of LRB-1162 in advance
of the Budget. LRB-1162 contains funding
for:
Labor Market Information System:
Develops a state-of-the-art Labor Market Information System through the
Department of Workforce Development (DWD) to track job vacancies and link
unemployed workers to openings they are qualified to fill or to training they
can complete to become qualified, helping the unemployed return to the
workforce faster. In addition, the
system will provide high school students and guidance counselors with up to
date labor market information helping inform students about career
opportunities and the training they would need for currently in-demand jobs.
Worker Training Grants: Funds $15
million GPR over the biennium for DWD grants to both public and private
organizations, such as technical colleges, Workforce Investment Boards,
regional economic development organizations, and Wisconsin
businesses, providing training to new and incumbent workers. These grants may require some matching funds
from businesses requesting the training to ensure businesses, as well as the
state, are invested in the outcome of the worker training programs funded. Other states, including Minnesota,
Iowa, Indiana,
and Texas, currently have state-funded worker
training programs; and Wisconsin
not having one puts us at a competitive disadvantage.
Office of Skills Development:
Creates the Office of Skills Development at DWD and funds 4.0 full-time
positions to administer the worker training grants. With the Wisconsin Economic Development
Corporation, the Technical College System, economic development agencies, and
businesses, the Office will nimbly and quickly adjust training grants to
current and changing workers' skill needs and emerging skill clusters,
providing workers with a responsive, flexible, and valuable training resource.
Tim Sullivan's report, Restoring
Wisconsin's Workforce Development, and Competitive Wisconsin's Be Bold 2 report
recommended initiatives similar to those contained in LRB-1162.
Among the economic development
programs and initiatives funded in Governor Walker's next budget are:
Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) Workforce Development Initiatives:
Increased Aid and Flexibility for
Workforce Training: Increasing state aid to technical colleges by $5 million in
general aid, as well as giving flexibility over $22 million in existing worker
training-related funds. WTCS can use
these funds to incentivize training program expansion in areas of high-demand
for worker training needs. It also
requires performance and results be tracked to allow WTCS to adjust curriculum
based on future skills gaps.
Performance-Based Funding: In
addition, the budget will phase in performance funding for all of the state aid
given to technical colleges. It will
begin at 10% in 2014-15 and would eventually total all $88.5 million general
aid through performance by 2020. This
would be roughly one-tenth of WTCS school operational budgets. The funding formula would be developed by
WTCS with DOA oversight. The formula
would be required to have a focus on job placement and programs focused in high
demand fields.
Department of Workforce Development
Initiatives:
Apprenticeship Program: Fund the
Apprenticeship program with state dollars when federal funds run out in FY14 at
$1.8 million. This funding will be
ongoing so the Apprenticeship program will not risk losing funding in the
future.
Veterans in Piping: Maintain the
Veterans in Piping program with $300,000 state GPR dollars and 1 FTE. The program provides 20 weeks of training to
veterans and was formerly funded with WIA dollars and a Veterans Assistance
Foundation grant. This funding will be
ongoing so the Veterans in Piping program will not risk losing funding in the
future.
K-12 Initiatives:
Explore, Plan, ACT, WorkKeys: Fund
$11.5 million over the biennium for the ACT, the WorkKeys (which measures work
readiness), and the precursor Explore and Plan tests to help parents and
teachers understand which students are ready for college or a career by 11th
grade. Using these tests will allow
schools to provide these students with opportunities to begin taking AP and other
advanced course work, while ensuring 12thgraders who are behind get the
remedial education they need to catch up.
These tests are vital to measuring student academic growth in high
schools for the purposes of state school report cards.
Readiness Council: Give every child
the opportunity to create an academic and career plan based on his or her
interests, beginning in 6th grade. These
individualized plans, developed with and frequently revised by parents, teachers,
and guidance counselors, will help make sure our children are on track to
graduate with a diploma and a plan.
Approximately $1.1 million will be provided to school districts to fund
this effort beginning in the 2014-15 school year.
University of Wisconsin System Initiatives:
Incentive Grant Program: Invest $20
million to support initiatives increasing economic development, addressing
employer needs through development of a skilled workforce, and improving
affordability.
UW Flexible Option: Fund $2 million
to support start-up costs to develop additional programs and course offerings
in the new UW Flexible Option degree program.
Core Credit Transfer: Ensure
students, who have earned credits in general education courses, get to keep
those credits, even if they transfer to another school. Require the UW and Technical Colleges
to develop a core set of 30 credits transferrable between all institutions,
while giving private and tribal colleges the option to participate as well.
Wisconsin GI Bill Tuition Remission: Align
standards under the Wisconsin G.I. Bill with state veterans benefit programs in
other states and eliminate an arbitrary time limit for spouses of veterans, who
were disabled or killed in the line of duty, to use educational benefits.
Reforming FoodShare Employment and
Training Program (FSET): Invest nearly $17 million GPR and almost $33 million
in all funds in worker training for able-bodied adults without dependent
children, who receive FoodShare benefits.
Federal law requires able-bodied adults without dependent children to
meet work or job training requirements as a condition of eligibility for
FoodShare benefits. Currently, 46
states, including Wisconsin
since 2002, have waivers exempting certain populations from this eligibility
requirement.
Since 2008, Wisconsin has offered FSET services on a
voluntary basis. In August 2012, the
department informed the USDA it intends to enforce the work/training
requirements for able-bodied adults without dependent children beginning July
2013.
Able-bodied adults without dependent
children will be required to enroll in employment and worker training programs
offered by the Department of Health Services, Department of Children and
Families or Department of Workforce Development. If able-bodied adults without dependent
children choose not to enroll in these employment programs, they will be
subject to federal time limits on nutrition assistance benefits.
Participation in employment programs
for adults with dependent children, the elderly, and people with disabilities
will remain voluntary.
Improving Rural Access to Health
Care: Multiple studies identified a growing need for health care professionals,
which will only increase as the population ages. Governor Walker's budget investment aims to
train health care professionals for these in-demand jobs of the current and
future workforce in geographical areas of high need, such as rural and
impoverished urban areas. This will
provide much-needed jobs and better access to primary health care for Wisconsinites
in rural areas.
Medical College
of Wisconsin
(MCW):
Family Medicine Residency: Provide
$1.75 in state funding to MCW to expand their family medicine residency by 12
additional slots.
Create Community Medical Education
Program: Invest $7.4 million in GPR bonding for MCW to build two new campuses
in the Wausau and Green Bay areas for MCS's new Community
Medical Education Program initiative.
This unique program will place MCW medical students at the Wausau and Green
Bay campuses for all four years of their training,
with a goal of 25 graduates per year at each campus.
University of Wisconsin-Madison Medical
School:
WARM & TRIUMPH Expansion:
Provide $3 million to expand the medical school's Wisconsin Academy
for Rural Medicine (WARM) & Training in Urban Medicine and Public Health
(TRIUMPH) programs. The medical school
will also use these funds to establish special scholarships for WARM &
TRIUMPH students based on financial need and upgrade technology to allow for
increased distance learning opportunities for students.
WARM was started 5 years ago with
the goal of admitting students who intend to practice rural medicine and,
ultimately, helping increase the number of physicians who practice medicine in
rural Wisconsin.
TRIUMPH was started in 2008 with the
goal of enrolling students who intend to serve urban populations to reduce
health disparities. The program
integrates clinical medicine and community and public health in a 3rd and
4thyear curriculum.
Create the Graduate Medical
Education Consortium Funding Pool: Invest $4 million for grants to aid rural
hospitals in building infrastructure and increasing volume in order for them to
obtain national accreditation. The $4
million investment requires a 50/50 match by applicants. Hospitals must be accredited in order to
offer medical residencies. This
investment will allow rural hospitals to pool their resources and apply for
accreditation as a consortium saving them vital time and money, while allowing
them to draw medical residents to rural areas in need.
Creation of Medical Residency Grants
for High Need Medical Professionals: Invests $1 million to provide grants to
hospitals to help offset the high costs of medical residencies in five key
areas: family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, general surgery, internal
medicine.
Marquette Dental
School Expansion: Provides over
$500,000 for dental education contracts at Marquette to allow for 20 additional dental
student slots per year.
Wisconsin Health Information Organization
(WHIO): Invests $5 million in WHIO to jumpstart the organization's ability to
produce consumer-focused health care cost and quality data. The funding will also support statewide
consumer health literacy programs and give providers and insurers access to
meaningful data to support quality improvement activities and provider payment
reform. This investment will increase the transparency of cost and quality
data, allowing individuals and businesses to become educated consumers of
health care.
In total, Governor Walker's plan
invests $96 million of state taxpayer resources and $132 million total
dedicated to developing Wisconsin's
workforce.
