Newsroom

When Patty learned her job at NASCO was ending after more than two decades, she didn't wait for the dust to settle. Patty had worked at NASCO since 2001, and when word came of the closure, she picked up the phone and called the WorkSmart Network for help. That’s exactly what the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) Dislocated Worker Program is for. Locally, it's delivered through the WorkSmart Network — a team of Career Planners stationed across south central Wisco

Some outcomes speak for themselves. This Bricklayers Pre-Job Training cohort — led by the Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin in partnership with the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC), and funded through the Worker Advancement Initiative grant, finished with a 100% completion rate and a 100% employment rate. Participants spent the training, held at The Tributary in Madison, Wisconsin, gaining real masonry and bricklaying skill

The region needs qualified early childhood educators, and too many young adults never find a real path into the field. The Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin led a project to change that — bringing together Operation Fresh Start, Reach Dane, and Community Coordinated Child Care (4-C), and using Worker Advancement Initiative funding to make it possible. The Career Point Early Childhood Education program's second cohort recently wrapped up. It started with c

Laid off and overwhelmed, Kristi C. turned to the WorkSmart Network — and found more than just a new job. She found the right one.

A fresh start. A strong foundation. See how one workforce program helped Michael turn opportunity into a career in bricklaying.

This WIOA program helped Walter turn opportunity into a lifechanging career.