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Workforce Solutions Initiative

Workforce Solutions Initiative infographic

Gov. Tony Evers invested a historic $168 million from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and established the Workforce Solutions Initiative (WSI), a collaboration with stakeholders to clear barriers to work and strengthen communities across the state by connecting talent with opportunity. The groundbreaking investment builds on Wisconsin’s leadership in workforce development to advance the state’s economic competitiveness.

The funding supported three initiatives administered by the Department of Workforce Development:

Workforce Solutions Initiative programs have collectively served more than 127,000 Wisconsinites so far and continue to produce results today.

Worker Advancement Initiative

Worker Advancement Initiative

The Worker Advancement Initiative (WAI) helped to address Wisconsin’s ongoing workforce shortages by reaching out to people whose jobs were impacted by the pandemic, as well as those who were not successful or attached to the labor market prior to the pandemic. WAI helped to address skills gaps by offering workforce resources, training programs, and supportive services to help workers overcome barriers to employment.

Administered by DWD and managed by Wisconsin's 11 workforce development boards, WAI offered subsidized employment and skills training opportunities with local employers. The first round of the program ran from 2021 through 2024 and assisted 4,472 participants to learn in-demand job skills and overcome barriers to employment like finding a ride to work – more than double its goal! Another round opened in April 2025 with a goal of providing support to 1,000 people to upskill to move into jobs with better pay.

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Worker Connection Program infographic

Worker Connection Program

The Worker Connection Program used a personalized discovery process that identified participants' interests and abilities and connected them with training and work opportunities in sectors with higher wages and demand. The pilot program operated in 11 counties in eastern Wisconsin from 2022 through 2024 and reached 4,196 people. Because of the pilot's success, these services are available to job seekers across the state through the Job Center of Wisconsin, now called Worker Connection Career Navigation.

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Workforce Innovation Grants infographic

Workforce Innovation Grants

The $128 million Workforce Innovation Grant Program, a collaboration between DWD and the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), provided grants to regional organizations to design and implement innovative plans to tackle longtime local workforce challenges. Across Wisconsin, 26 regional programs used WIG funding on innovative solutions to Wisconsin’s workforce challenges including a lack of access to child care, transportation, affordable housing, or skills training. To date, WIG has served over 118,000 Wisconsinites and over 2,550 businesses.

The WIG program encouraged development of long-term solutions that could be replicated across the state, enabling businesses and institutions to find ways to connect people to resources that meet communities’ needs, support businesses’ hiring goals, and help people find family-supporting careers more easily.

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News

This project is being supported, in whole or in part, by federal award number SLFRP0135 awarded to the Department of Workforce Development via the Wisconsin Department of Administration by the U.S. Department of the Treasury.