You can make a good living working in the trades, but getting to that point could be daunting. A new bipartisan bill championed by State Senator Andre Jacque enhances the current Tools of the Trade apprenticeship program with an additional $100,000 per academic year to assist technical college students who have undertaken apprenticeship training courses in conjunction with instruction at their schools with the costs of specialized equipment. Each eligible student could receive up to $1,500 to assist in paying for items like tools, clothing, equipment, and other supplies needed to complete their apprenticeship. The Tools of the Trade program was established in 2013 and it has led 95 percent of its recipients to complete their apprenticeships or continue their training. Jacque says northeast Wisconsin has helped make the entire state a gold standard when it comes to its apprenticeship and youth apprenticeship programs.

 The new Tools of the Trade bill, known as Senate Bill 93, now has to pass both houses of the Legislature and be signed into law by Governor Tony Evers. The announcement comes on the day hundreds of students from several local high schools visited a dozen manufacturers in Door County as a part of a Manufacturing Month event.