SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WHBL) -- Sheboygan's state senator is working to help bring those who never finished college back to school to get their education.
State senator Devin Lemahieu says the Second Chance program will help connect technical colleges and other schools with college dropouts. "So that way that college student who may have accrued some debt in the couple years that they attended college can find a great career." He says a lot of those people who leave college never really get back into a full career for a number of years, and that's time in their life that could have been spent working a higher paying career.
The problem is that colleges are not allowed to simply share their lists of students who have left the school to groups that are looking for applicants like apprenticeship programs or technical colleges. Lemahieu says the bill got a small shot last year, but he's looking to get it back on track. "The bill last session was introduced pretty late, so Senator Gudex sort of ran out of time to get it done. We're going to add a sunset date after four years just to see if the program is being effective, just to see if that need is still there."
Lemahieu says that programs like this, along with the Red Raider Manufacturing initiative and the Wisconsin Fast Forward program can help get students who don't need to get a four year degree into programs that will better suit them and their possible future in Wisconsin's workforce.