Requiring the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to create and implement a business retention program, increasing the funding for skills enhancement grants, advanced manufacturing skills grants for technical colleges, and making an appropriation

2. Develop a business retention strategy targeted at industries and industry clusters that is based on data related to the economic viability of Wisconsin companies.

3. Develop an early response and detection system that includes annual visits to the top 300 companies identified by the program.

4. Create and maintain a database that includes business retention case histories, best practices, and retention specialists.

Under current law, the Technical College System Board (board) makes grants to technical college system boards for training in advanced manufacturing skills.

Beginning in the 2010-11 school year, the board is required to award at least $2,000,000 annually for such grants. This bill requires that, beginning in the 2011-12 school year, the board must award at least $2,400,000 annually for such grants. In addition, the bill prohibits a business from receiving training under such a grant unless the business pays the individuals trained under the grant at least 150 percent of the federal minimum wage. The business must pay such a wage at the time of the training or no later than six months after an individual completes the training.

Under current law, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) provides grants to community action agencies to provide a skills enhancement program to individuals who work at least 20 hours per week and whose earned income is at or below 150 percent of the poverty line. A skills enhancement program must include, among other things, child care, career counseling, and financial support for education and training. Under this bill, the appropriation to DCF for grants to community action agencies to provide a skills enhancement program is increased by $250,000 in each of fiscal years 2011-12 and 2012-13.