MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today delivered the Democratic Radio Address celebrating National Apprenticeship Week and the announcement of another record-breaking year for the state’s Registered Apprenticeship Program.

Audio File to Radio Address.

Hey there, folks. Governor Tony Evers here. Happy National Apprenticeship Week!

Apprenticeship, as we know it today, started right here in Wisconsin in 1911.

Since then, our state’s apprenticeship programs have enabled folks to earn while they learn with paid on-the-job training.

With over 200 pathways in everything from healthcare to manufacturing to construction, our apprenticeship programs help folks start their careers in some of our state's most important industries and prepare them for 21st-century, family-supporting jobs.

And I’m proud to share that for the second year in a row, we’ve seen a record number of individuals enrolled in our Registered and Youth Apprenticeship programs, with more than 16,000 registered apprentices in our state alone, breaking last year’s 20-year high!

We’ve made smart investments to address our workforce challenges, expand access to worker training and apprenticeships, and reduce barriers to work for folks across the state.

And the budget I signed this summer builds on that work by providing another $7 million for our state’s Youth Apprenticeship Program.

Folks, our state has faced significant workforce challenges for years—when you couple that with our historically low unemployment rate and record-high workforce participation, we must do everything we can to recruit, train, and retain the next generation of workers.

And that’s exactly what we’re going to keep doing.

We’ll keep working to maintain Wisconsin’s positive economic momentum, strengthen partnerships with local employers that make these apprenticeship programs possible, and build the future we want for our workforce and for our state.

Let’s get to work, folks. Thank you.