New North employers get worker training grants | insightonbusiness.com

MADISON – New North employers will get $1.45 million through the Wisconsin Fast Forward grant program with support training workers in high-demand sectors.

The worker training grants administered by the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development will help support 24 employers across Wisconsin and serve up to 1,415 trainees with grants totaling $3.8 million.

The WFF standard grant program awards funds to Wisconsin businesses to reimburse costs associated with occupational training. The grants cover training costs for those who are unemployed or underemployed, as well as for incumbent workers. Participants who successfully complete the training program will gain opportunities for employment, higher-level employment, or increased wages.

New North grant recipients include:

• Financial Services: $26,200 to Bank of Luxemburg in Kewaunee County. The company is partnering with Initiative One Leadership Institute to provide 29 hours of training to six incumbent workers in Leadership Skills. Trainees will receive 16.8 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) through University of Wisconsin Green Bay upon successful completion of training and could receive a wage increase of $1.50 or more per hour.
• Healthcare: $217,800 to Green Bay Area Public Schools in Brown County. The public school system is partnering with University of Wisconsin-Green Bay to provide training to 15 incumbent staff members allowing them to advance their careers from an hourly paraprofessional position to a salaried teaching position. Following the training, incumbent workers could receive a wage increase of $12.11 or more per hour.
• Manufacturing: $299,220 to Masters Gallery Foods Inc. in Sheboygan County. The company is partnering with Midwest Engineered Systems Inc., Somic Packaging Inc., Quest Industrial LLC, BW Packaging Systems/Hayssen, and Coprodev Plus to provide training to 30 unemployed individuals and 70 incumbent workers. Following the training, incumbent workers could receive a wage increase of 29 cents or more per hour.
• Manufacturing: $369,275 to Nemak USA in Sheboygan County. The company is partnering with Semoto to train 40 incumbent workers in die casting. Coursework will provide up-skill training leading to advancement of production staff into die casting. In addition, the Die Cast Production Supervisors will receive corresponding training to enable their enhanced support for the die casting positions. Following the training, incumbent workers could receive a wage increase of $1.24 or more per hour.
• Manufacturing: $96,165 to Old Wisconsin Sausage in Sheboygan County, which is partnering with multiple training providers including UW-Madison Extension, Kuhlman, MRA-The Management Association, Cabinplant, and Crucial Learning to provide training to 92 incumbent workers. Training will lead to UW-Madison certification in manufacturing of meat snacks as well as up-skilling line production and improving management skills. Incumbent workers could receive a wage increase of 65 cents or more per hour.
• Manufacturing: $127,100 Federal-Mogul Piston Rings, LLC in Manitowoc County. The company is partnering with Manage Assist to provide training to 195 incumbent workers. Coursework includes principles of lean manufacturing, Pull/Kanban Methods, and establishing an on-going training program with Train the Trainer principles. Incumbent workers could receive a wage increase of $1.00 or more per hour.
• Manufacturing: $313,340 to Fincantieri Marine Group LLC (FMG) in Marinette County. The company is a member of Northeast Wisconsin Manufacturing Alliance and will train newly hired and incumbent workers to meet the needs of its three Wisconsin shipyards, Marinette Marine Corporation (MMC), Fincantieri Bay Shipbuilding (FBS) and ACE Marine, LLC (ACE) in an expanding marine manufacturing industry. FMG will provide training opportunities to 109 employees in the areas of ITIL 4 Foundation on Demand, Shipyard Surface Prep & Coating, and CPSR and Subcontract Compliance Training. Following the training, incumbent workers could receive a pay increase of 50 cents or more per hour.

WFF grants range from $5,000 to $400,000 and projects require a 50% cash or in-kind employer match. The grant program is open to all industry sectors. The training must provide transferrable skills. Individuals eligible for training are incumbent workers, underemployed workers, and the unemployed.

To receive funding, employers must meet these minimum requirements:

• 85% of the participants must complete training.
• 65% must gain employment (the unemployed, hired; the underemployed, promoted).
• 75% of incumbent trainees receive pay raises.

In the 2022 fiscal year, DWD’s Office of Skills Development awarded and administered more than $4.8 million in WFF grants for an estimated 2,638 trainees.

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