In an effort to attract veterans and recent college graduates to Wisconsin, Gov. Scott Walker announced Wednesday at the Future Wisconsin Summit he will work with the state Legislature to get a $6.8 million marketing campaign approved.
The plan would designate $3 million to attract veterans to Wisconsin, $3.5 million to advertise Wisconsin as a destination for millennials and $300,000 for the Department of Workforce Development to create a mobile job center.
As a part of our Workforce Agenda, we will work with the state legislature to provide $6.8 million to launch a national marketing campaign to attract talent to and retain it in Wisconsin. #WIWorking
— Governor Walker (@GovWalker) November 29, 2017
Republicans in the state Legislature have said they are looking forward to hearing more about the proposal in the coming weeks.
State Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac, said in a statement this campaign will continue to fuel Wisconsin’s economy and attract workers to fill jobs in industries that are expanding.
“Getting out the message that Wisconsin is a vibrant state with plentiful opportunities to expand a career, start a family and build a life is a key piece in solving our workforce puzzle,” Feyen said.
State Democrats, however, are more skeptical of the proposed plan.
State Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, said in a statement that “gimmicks” are not the answer to attract young workers to Wisconsin.
“Slick ad campaigns will not keep or lure them to Wisconsin if we do not give them a good reason to choose our state as opposed to places that might be more attractive because of their weather, mass transit or metropolitan areas,” Hansen said.
Walker hopes to get the plan approved before the current legislative session ends, according to Wisconsin Public Radio.
