Gov. Evers, DWD Announce New Job Training Grants for Advanced Manufacturing and AI

“Here in Wisconsin, we’ve been working to build the 21st-century workforce our state needs to compete in a 21st-century economy, and our new WisTRAIN program is another big step in the right direction,” said Gov. Evers. “Making sure Wisconsin is prepared to create jobs for the future must be a top priority, and whether it’s data analytics, cybersecurity, or robotics, Wisconsin is well on its way to leading these rapidly evolving industries.”

During his 2026 State of the State address, Gov. Evers announced that the state had secured more than $7 million in federal funding to support workforce training programs focused on developing skills in advanced manufacturing and AI. Wisconsin is one of 14 states that received an Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund grant from the U.S. Department of Labor to prepare workers for jobs in high-demand and emerging industries.

WisTRAIN builds on the success of Gov. Evers’ Workforce Solutions Initiative, which, to date, has collectively served 127,775 Wisconsinites across the state by supporting local and regional workforce training programs. The development of the WisTRAIN employer grant program also aligns with recommendations by the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence, which was created by Gov. Evers in 2023 to study how AI will transform business, education, and other key sectors of the state economy.

“Artificial intelligence and advances in digital technology are already changing the way we work, and the WisTRAIN grant is a valuable opportunity to help employers and workers keep up with changing technology in the workplace,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek. “Wisconsin led the nation with the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence and successfully secured this competitive funding to focus on advancing skills and building opportunities for workers in the new 21st-century economy.”

WisTRAIN will fund worker training programs, including apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, that equip Wisconsin’s workforce with the skills necessary to meet rapidly evolving industry needs.

WisTRAIN is open to employers of any size operating in Wisconsin. Eligibility requirements include:

Eligible employers can apply for a WisTRAIN employer grant through the WisTRAIN online application system. Applications must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. on July 13, 2026, for consideration in the initial funding round. After July 13, 2026, if funds are available, applications may be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis until all funds are awarded.

More information on the WisTRAIN employer grant program can be found on DWD’s WisTRAIN webpage.

ADDITIONAL BACKGROUND ON THE EVERS ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO BUILD A 21ST-CENTURY WORKFORCE TO SUPPORT A 21ST-CENTURY ECONOMY

Gov. Evers declared 2024 the Year of the Worker in Wisconsin to highlight the need to address the state’s generational workforce challenges and promote new efforts by the Evers Administration to build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy. This included creating the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence and the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce, launching the state’s first teacher apprenticeship pilot program, establishing the Office of Employee Engagement and Retention for the state of Wisconsin workforce, and more.

Gov. Evers’ efforts to bolster Wisconsin’s workforce have extended well beyond 2024 the Year of the Worker. In fact, in 2021, Gov. Evers launched the state’s Workforce Solutions Initiative, which works to connect unemployed or underemployed workers with new opportunities while also incentivizing innovative solutions to regional workforce challenges. Included in Gov. Evers’ Workforce Solutions Initiative were three innovative programs: the Workforce Innovation Grant Program, the Workforce Advancement Initiative, and the Worker Connection Program. To date, programs included in the governor’s Workforce Solutions Initiative have collectively served 127,775 Wisconsinites across the state.

Of the 127,775 Wisconsinites served, 118,000 of those workers were helped through the Workforce Innovation Grant Program. Grants were awarded to support projects that seek to address key regional workforce challenges across the state, including barriers to entry, career training, child care, skills training, entrepreneurship, health services, housing, transportation, and more. Through the program, 195 childcare slots were created, 165 housing units were constructed, over 2,550 businesses were served, and 185,000 workers received rides to get to and from work.

Additionally, this April, Gov. Evers kicked off “National Apprenticeship Week” in Wisconsin by celebrating that, for the fifth year in a row, Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program for high school students saw record-high enrollment. During the 2025-26 school year, a record 12,141 students enrolled in the program, a seven percent increase from the prior year. This is on top of four consecutive years of record-high enrollment in the state’s Registered Apprenticeship Program.

Additionally, Gov. Evers has emphasized that Wisconsin is uniquely positioned to tap into the potential of AI and advanced manufacturing sectors, both of which offer opportunities to advance job equity and economic opportunity in communities across the state. That’s why, in 2023, Gov. Evers signed Executive Order #211, creating the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence, which he tasked with studying how AI will transform business, education, and other key sectors of the state economy. Over the course of a year, the task force worked to devise an action plan, which offers guiding principles to promote ethical decision-making related to AI and the workforce, advance equitable access to AI technology and training, and ensure that workers are represented in AI investments to strengthen the state’s economy. With a focus on policies related to education, government, workforce development, and economic development, the policy proposals reflect the need to:

Read more about Gov. Evers and the Evers Administration’s efforts to bolster Wisconsin’s 21st-century workforce to support a 21st-century economy.