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Gov. Evers, DWD Announce Advanced Manufacturing Technical Education Equipment Grants to Serve More Than 1,400 Students

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), today announced eleven Wisconsin school districts will receive more than $414,000 in grant funding to increase the number of students in career and technical education programs. Funded through the Wisconsin Fast Forward Program, the grants will help prepare more than 1,400 students for a wide range of high-wage, high-skill, and high-demand careers.

“We are committed to helping Wisconsin’s young people get the kind of high-demand, high-skill job training they need to be prepared to join our state’s workforce,” said Gov. Evers. “This is exactly the kind of collaboration and initiative we strive for in our relationships with school districts, employers, and our agency partners to help support student’s success and bolster the future of our workforce in some of Wisconsin’s most critical industries.”

“This latest round of funding will broaden educational and employment opportunities for some 1,400 students in more than a dozen rural and underserved communities statewide,” said DWD Secretary-designee Amy Pechacek. “These Wisconsin Fast Forward investments are part of DWD’s proven strategy to expand our future workforce with homegrown talent. Going forward, the economic impact of these grants will be multiplied as the students gain new skills, employers gain a competitive edge, and communities gain new vitality.”

High school students will train in advanced manufacturing fields to prepare for stable careers while they obtain dual enrollment credits, industry-endorsed certificates, and technical endorsements on high school diplomas. Advanced manufacturing refers to a family of manufacturing activities that depend on the use and coordination of information, automation, computation, software, sensing, and networking, and/or use cutting-edge materials and emerging production capabilities enabled by the physical and biological sciences (e.g., nanotechnology, chemistry, and biology). This involves both new ways of manufacturing existing products and manufacturing new products emerging from advanced technologies.

The new awards include:

Medford Area Public School District, Taylor County | $50,000
The Medford Area Public School District will use grant funds to purchase a ShopSabre Sidekick 4 Plasma System, an Auto Electronics Trainer, a Grizzly G9933-3HP Three Spindle Shaper, a Grizzly G0490X - 8" x 76" Jointer with Parallelogram Beds and Spiral Cutterhead, and a ShopSabre RC-9 Router System for its technical education program, allowing students to become familiar with cutting-edge technology used in manufacturing, construction, and automotive industries.

Whitehall School District, Trempealeau County | $42,550
The Whitehall School District will use grant funds to purchase a FANUC Fenceless CERT Cart that features a six-axis mechanical robot with 180-degree work envelope, a R-30iB Plus controller, 25 Roboguide handling tool software seats, and an Industry 5.0 Advanced Automation Mechatronics System to increase student capacity of its existing industrial robotics and automation program.

Clintonville Public School District, Waupaca, Shawano, and Outagamie Counties | $50,000
The Clintonville Public School District will use grant funds to purchase several Amatrol Industry 4.0 Learning Systems, including a Portable AC/DC Electrical trainer, a Portable Electrical Control trainer, a Portable Pneumatics trainer, a Pneumatic Hand Tool Package, a Portable Measurement Tools package, a Skill-Boss and Hand Tool Package, and a Portable Electronic Sensor to enable students to obtain Manufacturing Standards Skills Council (MSSC) and Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) certifications.

Augusta Area School District, Eau Claire County | $50,000
The Augusta Area School District will use grant funds to purchase additional equipment to for its Industry 4.0 curriculum, including a Hydraulics Trainer, a Skill Boss Manufacturing Trainer with Hand Tooling package, a Creaform Academia 20 Scanner Package, a LJCreate Injection Molding Trainer, and LJCreate Engineering Construction Kits.

New Auburn School District, Chippewa County | $15,645
The New Auburn School District will use grant funds to purchase a Haas Mini Mill EDU Vertical Machining Center, with coolant pump kit and software, for its CTE facility.

Cedar Grove-Belgium School District, Sheboygan County | $50,000
The Cedar Grove-Belgium Area School District will use grant funds to purchase an industrial CNC Mill and an industrial HVAC Learning System to launch two credit-aligned CNC and HVAC career pathways at the district’s new Rocket Academy Charter School, a regional advanced technology training center serving Sheboygan and Ozaukee counties.

Westby Area School District, Vernon County | $10,305
The Westby Area School District will use grant funds to purchase an Amatrol Skill Boss Mechatronics trainer that will introduce students to Industry 4.0 and lead to industry-recognized certifications from the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA).

Unified School District of Antigo, Langlade County | $50,000
The Unified School District of Antigo will use grant funds to purchase a Scotchman Model D095/140-24M Ironworker, two TRAK K3EMX Knee Mills, and a HAAS ST-10 CNC Lathe to update its metals lab and department.

Fall Creek School District, Eau Claire County | $38,840
The Fall Creek School District will use grant funds to purchase a FANUC CERT Fenceless mechatronics cart to teach foundational industrial robotics with the ability to certify students through the Smart Automation Certification Alliance (SACA) and the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute (NOCTI).

Northern Ozaukee School District, Ozaukee County | $12,835
The Northern Ozaukee School District will use grant funds to purchase a FANUC LR Mate 200iD/4S Fenceless CERT Cart to enable the study of robotics and automation.

West Allis-West Milwaukee School District, Milwaukee County | $44,540
The West Allis-West Milwaukee School District will use grant funds to purchase eight Haas-Desktop CNC Mills and twelve Thimble robotics classroom sets of kits to provide students with CNC operations experiences.

Learn more about Wisconsin Fast Forward

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ABOUT DWD

Wisconsin's Department of Workforce Development efficiently delivers effective and inclusive services to meet Wisconsin's diverse workforce needs now and for the future. The department advocates for and invests in the protection and economic advancement of all Wisconsin workers, employers, and job seekers through six divisions – Employment and Training, Vocational Rehabilitation, Unemployment Insurance, Equal Rights, Worker's Compensation, and Administrative Services. To keep up with DWD announcements and information, sign up for news releases and follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, X, and YouTube.