State lawmakers say they’ll try to make it easier for businesses to obtain development grants and train future workers. The heads of the Assembly and Senate workforce panels say they plan new bills, after hearing from one dozen invited speakers Friday at their first joint meeting on the subject. It was held at a business convention in Elkhart Lake, and the State Journal of Madison said it reflected its findings that the state needs 45-thousand more workers in the next seven years — and many employers are already having a harder time finding new people to replace an elderly population that’s expected to double by 2040. The new state budget increases funds for the “Fast Forward” workforce training program — but Kohler Company vice president Steve Cassady says that if the state wants to keep younger workers, it must invest in culture and the arts. Rolf Wegenke (weh genn’kee) of the state’s independent colleges says the state needs more “brain workers,” and he suggests tax credits on college tuition.
