Gov. Scott Walker has unveiled a new jobs initiative designed to train workers in Wisconsin for high-tech manufacturing skills.
Walker, speaking at a small business summit in Stevens Point, told business leaders that he will pass eight separate job creation bills in the next session of the legislature, amounting to $8.5 million for worker training programs, while attracting another $14 million in federal funds.
Walker says job training is the key. “We have 30,000 to 40,000 people a week just on our workforce development website, where there's job openings but not enough people to fill those jobs with the skills needed.”
Walker promised to create 250,000 new private-sector jobs in his first term, and has so far created only about 90,000. But he is predicting an increase in the rate of job creation linked to more than 11,000 new businesses in the state.
“If each of them are adding two, five, 10 jobs – whatever the number might be based on the size of the business – that quickly compounds that larger jobs number,” said Walker.
Not everyone is pleased with Walker's proposal. State Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca called the jobs plan “far too little, far too late,” adding, “At a time Wisconsin needs big bold action, today Republicans announced baby steps.”
