Gov. Evers, DWD Announce Over $410,000 in Fast Forward Training Grants to Train Over 600 Healthcare Workers, Help Address Healthcare Workforce Shortage
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers, together with the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), today announced over $410,000 in worker training grant awards through the Wisconsin Fast Forward Program to assist three organizations in training more than 600 healthcare workers and help fill critical workforce needs. Awardees will use the Wisconsin Fast Forward funding to develop and implement strategic industry partnership programs for high-demand health sciences, healthcare, and other related occupations.
This announcement comes as Gov. Evers, last year, secured an additional $500,000 for Fast Forward healthcare industry grants in the bipartisan 2025-27 Biennial Budget to address Wisconsin’s healthcare worker shortage. Additional funds were also made available through the Wisconsin Fast Forward standard grant program to specifically bolster the healthcare and health sciences sectors.
“Ensuring our future healthcare workforce is resilient, well-supported, and equipped to meet the evolving needs of our state and provide the high-quality care Wisconsinites deserve is critical to the future health, safety, and success of our communities and our state,” said Gov. Evers. “With this funding, we can help bring new folks into the field as well as support current healthcare workers with additional job training to fill in-demand jobs and increase their earnings. That’s a win-win-win, and I am glad these funds are getting out the door to partners to serve our communities.”
According to DWD, the healthcare workforce makes up more than 15 percent of the state’s jobs, underscoring the healthcare and health sciences sectors as an integral component of Wisconsin’s workforce, which is projected to grow in the coming years as the state’s population ages and demand for highly skilled, qualified healthcare professionals increases. The grants announced today represent a statewide investment in initiatives outlined in the recommendations of the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce to advance regional collaboration to help employers, schools, and other partners address local workforce challenges.
“Without a strong healthcare workforce, we cannot meet the health needs of our communities—a fundamental pillar of a strong economy,” said DWD Secretary Amy Pechacek. “Wisconsin Fast Forward and other workforce funding are commonsense investments that help our economy grow and thrive.”
Administered by DWD, the Wisconsin Fast Forward Program works to help Wisconsin businesses train and retain highly skilled workers and support the state’s workforce. Since the program launched in 2013, more than $54 million in funding has been awarded to 487 projects to support the training of 31,000 workers. Wisconsin Fast Forward awards funds to Wisconsin businesses to reimburse occupational training costs. The grants cover training costs for those who are unemployed or underemployed, as well as for incumbent workers.
Employers must meet all these minimum requirements to receive funding:
- 85 percent of the participants must complete training;
- 65 percent must gain employment, whether by hiring unemployed individuals or improving employment for underemployed workers; and
- 75 percent of incumbent trainees must receive pay raises.
The over $410,000 in Wisconsin Fast Forward grant awards will go to three organizations. Grant recipients include:
Bell Ambulance Inc. | $94,600
Bell Ambulance in Milwaukee County will train 600 current frontline responders in clinical protocol standardization, sponsor eight workers to receive their paramedic licenses, and sponsor eight others in critical care endorsement. The program will prepare a pipeline of advanced providers and increase advanced-level care to the community while addressing a shortage of professionals. Trainees could receive a wage increase of at least 79 cents per hour.
Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital Inc. | $282,517
Ascension Columbia St. Mary’s Hospital in Milwaukee County is partnering with the College of Healthcare Professions to launch the state’s first Limited X-ray Machine Operator (LXMO) education pathway, training 30 current medical assistants, certified nursing assistants, and emergency medical technicians. Successful trainees will be eligible to be licensed in LXMO, fill vacant positions, and address immediate labor shortages in imaging. Trainees could receive an hourly pay bump of $6.78 or more.
Northwestern Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board (NWWIB) | $33,226
NWWIB in Ashland County will train seven unemployed people for dental assistant jobs in partnership with Northwood Technical College and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. The project bridges gaps in healthcare access and will deliver hands-on training that aligns with industry standards and supports credential attainment. It also connects participants to employment with participating employers, NorthLakes Community Clinic and Lakeview Dental Center.
EVERS ADMINISTRATION’S EFFORTS TO BOLSTER THE WORKFORCE AND REDUCE BARRIERS TO EMPLOYMENT
Gov. Evers has made building a 21st-century workforce to support a 21st-century economy and addressing the state’s long-standing workforce challenges a top priority of his administration. Thanks to these efforts over the last seven years, the state has seen record-low unemployment and record-high employment. Further, annual average wages have also gone up for workers, increasing nearly 26 percent over the governor’s first six years in office, and median wages in 2024 reached an all-time record high.
This week, the state is also celebrating “National Apprenticeship Week,” and Gov. Evers and DWD announced for the fifth year in a row, Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program for high school students saw record-high enrollment. During the 2025-26 school year, a record 12,141 students enrolled in the program, a seven percent increase from the prior year. This is in addition to four consecutive years of record-high enrollment in the state’s Registered Apprenticeship program, which reached a record 18,524 apprentices across more than 3,095 employers in 2025.
Additionally, earlier this year, Gov. Evers delivered his 2026 State of the State address, where he highlighted new efforts by the Evers Administration to address the state’s generational workforce challenges and build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy. This includes launching:
- Two new registered apprenticeship pathways for high-demand fields, including the state’s healthcare and education workforces;
- The new Wisconsin Training for Resilient Advanced Industry Needs (WisTRAIN) employer grant program to deliver employer-driven, occupational skills training focused on advanced manufacturing and artificial intelligence; and
- The first round of funding through the newly created Ignite Wisconsin program, which aims to make strategic investments that will advance startup companies in targeted sectors with high growth potential.
Further, Gov. Evers declared 2024 the Year of the Worker in Wisconsin to highlight the need to address the state’s generational workforce challenges and promote new efforts by the Evers Administration to build a workforce prepared to meet the needs of a 21st-century economy. This included launching the state’s first teacher apprenticeship pilot program, creating the Governor’s Task Force on the Healthcare Workforce and the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence, establishing the Office of Employee Engagement and Retention for the state of Wisconsin workforce, and more.
But Gov. Evers’ efforts to bolster Wisconsin’s workforce have extended well beyond 2024 the Year of the Worker. In 2021, Gov. Evers launched the state’s Workforce Solutions Initiative, which works to connect unemployed or underemployed workers with new opportunities while also incentivizing innovative solutions to regional workforce challenges. To date, programs included in the governor’s Workforce Solutions Initiative have collectively served 127,775 Wisconsinites across the state.
Of the 127,775 Wisconsinites served by the Wisconsin Solutions Initiative, 118,000 of those workers were helped through the Workforce Innovation Grant Program. Grants were awarded to support projects across the state that seek to address key regional workforce challenges, including barriers to entry, career training, child care, skills training, entrepreneurship, health services, housing, transportation, and more. Through the program, 195 childcare slots were created, 165 housing units were constructed, over 2,550 businesses were served, and 185,000 rides were provided to help workers get to and from work.
Gov. Evers has also made supporting Wisconsin’s current and future workforce a centerpiece of every budget he has introduced as governor, including his most recent 2025-27 Executive Budget. While the final 2025-27 Biennial Budget was a far cry from the budget the governor proposed, in July, the governor signed a budget that made important investments to support Wisconsin’s current and future workforce. This included critical investments in the University of Wisconsin and Technical College systems, as well as over $6 million to support the Youth Apprenticeship program. More information on those investments is available in a previously released press release.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by Gov. Tony Evers
Gov. Evers, DWD Kick Off National Apprenticeship Week Celebrating Fifth Consecutive Year of Record-Breaking Enrollment in States Youth Apprenticeship Program
Apr 27th, 2026 by Gov. Tony EversRecord 12,141 high school juniors and seniors enrolled in the state’s Youth Apprenticeship program during the 2025-26 school year
