Senator Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) issued the following statement after the announcement by University of Wisconsin System officials that they would be creating a new online flexible degree program:
“I appreciate the innovative efforts of UW officials to pursue new 21st century approaches to higher education. While many questions about the funding, timeframe, accessibility, and development of this new program remain, I look forward to working with UW officials to explore these options further.”
“While these long-range efforts to provide greater flexibility are important, we must do more to immediately address the obstacles that are preventing businesses from hiring skilled workers. Just this week, Marinette Marine announced that they are struggling to find skilled welders and shipbuilders to help meet their growing demand for production.”
“There are many ways that we can work immediately to address barriers to higher education and worker training programs: we need to look at ways to restore the massive cut in state funding to technical colleges and address the growing waiting lists for high demand worker training programs; we need to make sure that financial assistance is available to students who are struggling to afford rising tuition costs; and if we want to expand online education programs, then we need to invest in rural broadband access to ensure that students and businesses are able to take full advantage of these new opportunities.”
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