APPLETON – Governor Jim Doyle today announced an award to train over 1,000 Fox Valley area workers, 700 of them at Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation in Appleton – the world’s leader in business jet aircraft. The Wisconsin Technical College System Workforce Advancement Training grant worth $129,005 will go to Fox Valley Technical College to provide training for Fox Valley area companies, including $45,560 to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation to upgrade worker skills and increase manufacturing efficiency. Governor Doyle was joined by Dan Clancy, President of the Wisconsin Technical College System, to make the announcement.
“We are training our workers for the highly-skilled jobs of tomorrow,” Governor Doyle said. “The states that will be doing well five, 10, 15 years from now, are the states that have the most flexible, trained workforce. These grants enable our technical colleges to create a worker training program that is tailor-made for the needs of businesses, and help ensure that Wisconsin continues to have a highly-trained, highly-skilled workforce that’s producing the best quality products.”
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation produces the world’s most technologically advanced business jet aircraft, and sets the standard for safety, reliability, quality, comfort, and performance. The company has produced more than 1,600 aircraft, and serves 34 world governments.
With workers in Appleton who design, develop, manufacture, market, service and support the jets, Fox Valley Technical College is providing 70 eight-hour training sessions to improve skills for 700 high-tech, aerospace industry Gulfstream workers in Appleton. The training will help Gulfstream workers increase efficiency and reduce the company’s costs.
In addition to funds used to train Gulfstream workers, Fox Valley Technical College is receiving $22,051 to improve computer skills for 320 workers from Miles Kimball Corporation of Oshkosh, $17,289 for 158 hours of training to certify production welders in aluminum welding for Utility Tool and Trailer of Clintonville, and $44,105 to provide 486 hours of hydraulic and electrical training for workers at Worthington Cylinders of Chilton. Training is expected to result in higher wages for the workers.
Workforce Advancement Training grants are awarded to technical colleges throughout the state to work with local businesses and upgrade worker skills and productivity for Wisconsin workers and businesses – providing improved job security, increased career opportunities, and support for regional workforce and economic development efforts.
The budget Governor Doyle proposed to the Legislature quadruples investments in workforce advancement training, from $2 million to $8 million, to help Wisconsin’s technical colleges train an additional 36,000 workers – ensuring Wisconsin is creating the highly skilled workers prepared to fill the jobs of tomorrow, and ensuring Wisconsin remains competitive in the economy of the future.
