Training grants pay dividends
By CCTIMES, Published March 2, 2007

Workforce Advancement Training Grants are improving employee skills and work environments in Wisconsin, according to a survey by the Wisconsin Technical College System Office.

A recent survey of grant recipients found the training increased employee skills for all the respondents and work environments were improved at 89 percent of these companies.

The grants, which enable the technical colleges to offer targeted job training to the current workforce, have served nearly 12,000 individuals at more than 100 companies in less than two years. The training may occur either on site or on campus and 95 percent of the training is in the manufacturing sector.

“The Workforce Advancement Training Grants are for specific, customized training to make employers more globally competitive,” said Dan Clancy, president of the Wisconsin Technical College System. “They enable businesses of all sizes to grow through improved productivity, and they support regional workforce and economic development efforts.”

The survey also showed that 97 percent of employers were satisfied with the training and the same percentage would return to the technical colleges for future training needs.

“Due to the lack of available workers the last several years, our manufacturing company has been in the situation where we must hire someone with potential and then grow our own skilled labor force,” said Jane Dauffenbach, president of Aquarius Systems, an aquatic weed control manufacturer in the state. “While we are able to train them as we go along, we are too small and too busy to teach all the important nuances that will make a good employee a great employee. Training programs like this help provide our company with well-rounded talent that enables us to compete in the global market.”

The state provided $2 million for the grants in the current biennial budget. Gov. Jim Doyle has proposed including $8 million for this training program in his 2007-09 budget.

This program is only part of the technical colleges’ much larger mission of providing customized training and technical assistance to business and industry.

“Each year, more than 100,000 current employees upgrade their knowledge and skills in order to make their companies more productive and efficient,” Clancy said. “Customized training is provided in a number of flexible formats, including onsite training at businesses, long distance learning technology or in traditional classrooms.”