PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Nine organizations across Wisconsin are receiving state funding to train workers to fill critical roles, including an Appleton company.
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development announced Tuesday, more than $890,000 in worker training grant awards were released through the Wisconsin Fast Forward Program to assist organizations in training more than 340 workers in healthcare, customer service, technology, and manufacturing needs.
“Making sure Wisconsin is prepared to create jobs for the future must be a top priority, and whether it’s healthcare, manufacturing, or technology, we’re working to ensure we can fill in-demand jobs while giving folks the opportunity to increase their earnings and build on their skills,” said Gov. Evers. “These grants are a win-win-win for our workforce, economy, and communities, and I am proud of our work to secure these funds and build on our efforts to uplift Wisconsin’s workforce for years to come.”
The grants will reimburse the costs of customized occupational training for unemployed, underemployed, and current workers. Grants ranging from $5,000 to $400,000—or higher for consortium applicants—can cover training that qualifies workers for full-time positions, higher-level roles, or increased wages.
Employers must meet all these minimum requirements to receive funding:
- 85% of the participants must complete training;
- 65% must gain employment, whether by hiring unemployed individuals or improving employment for underemployed workers; and
- 75% of incumbent trainees must receive pay raises.
Healthcare
- Appleton 955 LLC, Outagamie County | $36,000
Partnering with An Embrace of Learning, Appleton 955 LLC will train 12 current workers employed as nursing assistants at six locations. Training will provide structured skills in behavioral intervention, staged escalation recognition, trauma-informed communication, and post-incident documentation.
- Life Point Counseling LLC, Sheboygan County | $193,635
Life Point Counseling LLC will train 12 unemployed or underemployed trainees and 20 incumbent workers through four pipelines: pre-graduate interns, pre-licensure clinicians, licensed clinicians seeking advanced certifications, and clinical supervisors. The training will support job placement and increased wages, and expand services while reducing wait times and increasing local care.
- Opportunity Inc., Marathon County | $17,655
Opportunity Inc. will recruit and train eight unemployed trainees to become professional guardians for people with disabilities, expanding the workforce, creating sustainable employment opportunities, and providing trainees with transferable skills. Instruction will focus on guardianship responsibilities, ethics, decision-making, legal requirements, and person-centered planning.
Customer Service
- City of Milwaukee Department of Emergency Communications, Milwaukee County | $84,200
Milwaukee’s Department of Emergency Communications will partner with Medical Priority to train 36 unemployed and 88 current workers to take and dispatch 911 calls. This training will provide a nationally recognized Emergency Medical Dispatch (EMD) certification and address staffing shortages.
Information Technology
- Trade Tech Inc., Washington County | $168,357
Trade Tech Inc. will partner with Pinnacle Business Solutions to train 72 current employees in information security requirements. Training will provide employees with skills in the required physical and electronic protection of government-controlled information, facilitating higher volumes of work and employment opportunities.
Manufacturing
- ATACO Steel Products Corp., Ozaukee County | $12,403
ATACO Steel Products Corp. will train two incumbent workers to integrate advanced automated manufacturing and oversee certified welding processes. This upskilling will provide critical in-house expertise to support OEM customer requirements and result in measurable skills and industry-recognized credentials.
- Gehl Food LLC, Washington County | $281,534
Gehl Food LLC will train 75 unemployed workers in skills to increase operational capabilities, including employee safety, food safety training, and machine startup and shutdown. Training will lead to equipment certifications and credentials with increased trainee marketability, earning potential, and readiness for advancement.
- Mayday Gearbox Repair, Washington County | $64,315
Mayday Gearbox Repair will train four current workers and one unemployed trainee as gearbox repair technicians. Training will include power transmission, disassembly/failure analysis, precision measurement, reassembly, and advanced diagnostics.
- Robbins Sports Surfaces LLC, Langlade County | $32,500
Robbins Sports Surfaces LLC will train six unemployed or underemployed workers and 12 incumbent workers in preventive maintenance, line flow, and production. Trainees will work at the company’s new rough mill in White Lake, adding capacity for processed raw material.
DWD’s Office of Skills Development awarded more than $5.2 million in Fast Forward grants to train an estimated 2,847 people in state fiscal year 2026. Since the program launched in 2013, more than $58 million in funding has been awarded to 516 projects to support the training of over 31,000 workers.
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