Dept. of Workforce Development: Assistant Deputy Secretarty meets youth apprentices in Spring Green, Onalaska on Youth Apprenticeship Day

Contact: DWD Communications Office
(608) 266-2722

Madison, Wisconsin – Today, Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Assistant Deputy Secretary Dave Anderson met with youth apprentices as part of Youth Apprenticeship (YA) Day at visits to both River Valley High School in Spring Green and Dahl Ford-Lincoln in Onalaska, WI. Governor Walker proclaimed September 26 as Youth Apprenticeship Day in Wisconsin in support of efforts to get students engaged in career pathways and programs to ensure a robust talent pipeline for generations to come.

“Under Governor Walker, investments in the Youth Apprenticeship program have expanded every year and the number of students participating is at an all-time high,” Assistant Deputy Secretary Dave Anderson said. “With the additional funds included in the recent budget, Wisconsin is demonstrating that we are hearing the needs of employers and are committed to helping them build a pipeline of talent now and into the future.”

Under Governor Walker, funding for the Youth Apprenticeship program has more than doubled since 2012, from $1.6 million to $3.2 million in 2016. This past June, the Governor announced a record $3.9 million in Youth Apprenticeship state grants which will serve 4,300 students across Wisconsin.

The YA program is administered by the DWD with funds awarded to local consortiums that work with employers and high schools to pair students up with an employer. The participating students are enrolled in academic classes while they are employed and receive hands-on instruction from a mentor.

In Spring Green, Assistant Deputy Secretary Anderson met with Youth Apprentices in the River Valley High School agriculture program and visited a local farm where the students are working as part of the YA program. The Southwest Wisconsin YA Consortium, of which River Valley High School is a part, plans to serve over 150 students in the 2017-2018 school year.

At Dahl Ford Lincoln in Onalaska, Assistant Deputy Secretary Anderson met with Youth Apprentices working in the transportation YA program. Students working at Dahl Ford-Lincoln represent school districts that are a part of the Mississippi Valley YA Consortium, which is planning to increase YA enrollment from 62 students in the 2016-2017 school year to 106 students in the 2017-2018 school year.

The statewide YA program offers up to 11 career programs for students to pursue such as Agriculture, Food, and natural Resources, Architecture and Construction, Art, Audio/Visual Technology, and Communications, Finance, Health Science, Hospitality and Tourism, Information Technology, Manufacturing, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics, Transportation, Distribution, and Logistics, and Marketing.

Youth Apprenticeship Day takes place during Workforce Development Month, which Governor Walker proclaimed for September to highlight the state’s talent development efforts to provide Wisconsin employers with a sustainable pipeline of workers to help grow the economy.