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Farm News: Grant Hopes To Train New Agribusiness WorkerscommentsPosted: 09.10.2010 Wisconsin agriculture and agribusiness may not be the first place people think about when it comes to jobs - but a new grant might change that perception. Thursday Governor Jim Doyle announced a $296,997 grant to fund training for agriculture and agribusiness workers throughout Wisconsin. The grant is the latest award in the Wisconsin Industry Partnership initiative, a new approach to training that gives industry a leading role in worker training. Governor Doyle said. “This grant will give our workers the skills they need to get good-paying jobs and to help make sure Wisconsin remains America’s agricultural leader.”
The grant is being awarded to the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin, the Department of Workforce Development’s (DWD) regional partner based in Madison. The grant will support training activities on a statewide basis, with input from the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection (DATCP) and its Wisconsin Agricultural Education and Workforce Development Council, whose 34 members include 12 representatives from industry employers across the state.
Through the grant, current employees and unemployed or underemployed workers will receive training in agriculture career pathways that focus both on and off the farm, from farm production to distribution-related financial, technical and manufacturing processes. Training will take the form of mentorship, programs and seminars, targeting some 200 farmers, farm workers and displaced manufacturing workers who are pursuing new careers in agriculture.
Jobs that will be supported through the grant project include engineering managers, marketing managers, and heavy equipment mechanics. Entry level wages for such positions can average over $17 per hour for environmental engineering technicians and can reach as high as $33 per hour for managers. With close to $340,000 in local matching resources, total funding for the 12-month training project will reach nearly $637,000.
The effort is part of a nearly $6 million worker training package that the Governor announced in March 2009. The Department of Workforce Development administers the innovative program, which partners with labor unions, area employers, economic development agencies, workforce development agencies, K-12 schools, technical colleges and University of Wisconsin institutions. Together, the Industry Partnership grant dollars are providing the funding for a long-term, sustainable effort to attract, train and retain a high-quality workforce necessary to support and grow the many agriculture related industries in Wisconsin.
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