Governor Scott Walker announced a new Workforce Agenda entitled “Men and Women at Work” Wednesday at the 4th annual Future Wisconsin Summit in Madison, hosted by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC).
“We’re dedicated to maintaining and developing the highly-skilled workforce Wisconsin is known for,” said Governor Walker. “Through bolstering our education system and worker training programs, actively removing barriers to work, and attracting new talent to Wisconsin, we’re strengthening a workforce poised for future economic success.”
As part of the new Workforce Agenda, the governor will ask the legislature for $6.8 million for “leveraging the resources and mission of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and Travel Wisconsin” to attract new workers to Wisconsin, according to a release from the Walker Administration on Wednesday.
The plan, as outlined in the release, also touts several items in the recently passed state budget, including $11.5 billion for K-12 education, increased spending on technical schools, $56.3 million in spending on needs-based support for students at private non-profit universities, and the governor’s welfare reform program.
WMC President Kurt Bauer praised the governor’s plan to attract more workers to Wisconsin.
“Our unemployment rate is at historic lows and our labor force participation rate is one of the highest in the country,” Bauer said. “Simply put, we need more people to move into Wisconsin. Our businesses are ready to expand, they just need more bodies.”
