Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development

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Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development News Release
Wednesday, June 1, 2005 Governor Jim Doyle Secretary Roberta Gassman	News Media Contact Rose Lynch   608/266-6753 e-mail: news@dwd.state.wi.us fax: 608/266-1784

For more information on this grant program, contact Fred Bartol, Phone: (608) 266-1349
Fax: (608) 267-2829 Email: fred.bartol@dwd.state.wi.us
 

Governor announces new grants to
grow Wisconsin’s regional economies

Governor Jim Doyle today announced the availability of $390,000 in competitive grants to promote regional approaches to linking employee skills with the needs of emerging and existing employers.  The grants will help Wisconsin regions build stronger links between economic and workforce development.   The new Growing Regional Opportunities for Wisconsin (GROW) grants, funded through the state Council on Workforce Investment (CWI) and administered by the Department of Workforce Development (DWD), have been established to advance the Governor’s “Grow Wisconsin” initiative.

“These region-by-region grants will help Wisconsin’s workforce programs better serve Wisconsin’s workers and jobseekers though stronger relationships with Wisconsin’s business community,” Governor Doyle said.  “The goal is to help Wisconsin’s regions compete in the world economy by linking better qualified workers with higher quality jobs.”

Grants will be available to alliances or consortia of workforce development agencies, business groups, educational institutions, and other strategic partners, in regions representing populations of at least 500,000 and made up of at least four contiguous counties.   Priority in program funding will go to partnerships aiming to build or expand new types of relationships to support innovative strategies linking economic growth, job training, and employment opportunities.  The grant program will place special emphasis on projects seeking to increase both availability of and access to higher-wage, higher-skilled jobs.

“This grant program recognizes two keys to Wisconsin’s economic future,” Governor Doyle said.  “One is that the state’s economy is made up of diverse regions, each representing unique challenges and opportunities.  The other is that regional economic success depends on bringing a diverse range of interests to the table in a cooperative effort.”

Grant applications will be due July 29 and grant awards will be announced September 1.  The grant guidelines can be found on the CWI website at: http://www.wi-cwi.org/ and the DWD’s home page at http://www.dwd.state.wi.us/.

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Content Contact: Rose Lynch