Baldwin Delivers $4 Million to Boost Health Care Apprenticeships in South Central Wisconsin

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) announced she delivered $4 million for the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin (WDBSCW) to build out their health care-specific apprenticeship programs, providing pathways for Wisconsinites to land good paying jobs in an in-demand field and helping meet the growing workforce needs. The funding comes through the U.S. Department of Labor’s Apprenticeship Building America grant program. As Chair of the Senate Appropriations Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Subcommittee, Senator Baldwin wrote and passed into law a bipartisan bill that invests $285 million in apprenticeship programs in Fiscal Year 2024.

“We know there is a big demand for skilled workers in the health care sector, and this funding will help more Wisconsinites to earn while they learn, equipping them with the needed skills to close this critical gap and land a good-paying job,” said Senator Baldwin. “This really is a win-win: more Wisconsinites are connected to family-supporting careers and our hospitals and doctor’s offices get the skilled workers they need.”

“We are deeply honored to receive $4 million in grant funding through USDOL’s Apprenticeship Building America 2 (ABA2) grant initiative,” stated CEO Seth Lentz of WDBSCW. “This significant investment will empower our partnerships with key workforce, industry and education partners to expand and establish crucial apprenticeship pathways in healthcare.”

WDBSCW will utilize the funding to build healthcare apprenticeship pathways, addressing the demand for skilled healthcare professionals and providing individuals with high-quality training for rewarding, family-supporting jobs. The project plans to focus on expanding three current registered apprenticeship programs – registered nurse, medical assistant, and respiratory therapist, and the creation of a new surgical technologist apprenticeship. WDBSCW will be partnering with Madison College, UW Health, SSM Health, and WI Department of Workforce Development, Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards.

The funding comes from the Apprenticeship Building America Initiative, which expands public-private partnerships and the use of Registered Apprenticeships across in-demand fields, such as K-12 education, clean energy, IT and cybersecurity, advanced manufacturing, supply chain, hospitality, care economy, and public-sector occupations.

Apprenticeship Building America grant recipients will partner with employers and other stakeholders to launch programs that offer workers, including those from underrepresented populations and underserved communities, access to high-quality training through pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeships.

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