Contact: Austin Altenburg
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Ad featuring governor and first responder to appear across TV, digital platforms
[Madison, Wis.] – Gov. Scott Walker’s campaign on Tuesday launched its first statewide television ad of the 2018 cycle, highlighting how Wisconsin is working after the governor’s reforms helped jumpstart Wisconsin’s economy and enabled the state to invest in priorities like workforce training through the Wisconsin Fast Forward program.
The ad – which will also appear on digital platforms – features Shayla, an emergency medical technician (EMT) and firefighter with the Hartland Fire Department & Lake Country Fire & Rescue. To keep Wisconsin working, Gov. Walker has invested over $200 million into worker training and created targeted incentives to help build our workforce with first responders like Shayla. A year before Shayla began her training, Governor Walker signed into law the Wisconsin Fast Forward program. The program works to address the skills gap and connect those interested in high-demand fields with opportunities and family-sustaining careers.
You can watch the ad, entitled “Helping People Like Me,” here. The ad begins:
Shayla: I’m the kind of person that runs towards danger, not away from it. I went to technical college to become a first responder, and now I’m a paramedic and a firefighter. I have a chance to save lives every day. Governor Walker is helping people like me get the training we need.
Gov. Walker: More people are working in Wisconsin than ever before – and our Fast Forward Program is providing funding so people can get those better jobs that require new skills. And people like Shayla, well she can help save lives.
The spot will run on television as well as on a range of online and social media platforms. It’s the first in a series of ads the Walker campaign is running on the governor’s strong record of getting positive things done and his plans for more bold reform to keep moving Wisconsin forward.
See below for more information on Gov. Walker’s Fast Forward program:
- Governor Walker’s reforms helped balance the state budget and turn Wisconsin’s economy around, leading to more people working than ever before and enabling the state to focus on investments in priorities like workforce training.
- Governor Walker has invested over $200 million in state funds for workforce development, including $30 million in Wisconsin Fast Forward grants to Wisconsin employers for customized skills training to fill current job openings and ongoing skill requirements.
- In 2013, Governor Walker signed into law the bipartisan Wisconsin Fast Forward program – assisting hundreds of employers and thousands of employees with addressing the skills gap.
- In his latest budget, Gov. Walker increased funding for the program by $11.5 million, renewing his commitment to the program.
- The Wisconsin Fast Forward program is helping connect people like Shayla with family-sustaining careers across Wisconsin.
The Wisconsin Comeback is real, and the Wisconsin Fast Forward program is contributing to the state’s success. The results speak for themselves:
- Wisconsin has record-low unemployment at 2.9%, down from 9.3% when Democrats controlled state government.
- With more than 3 million Wisconsinites working, there are more people working in the state than ever before.
- The percentage of adults in Wisconsin’s workforce – our labor force participation rate – is top 5 in the nation.
- Wisconsin has the #1 ranked economy in the Midwest according to Business Insider.