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  2. News Room
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Scott Walker, Governor
Raymond Allen, Secretary

Department of Workforce Development
Secretary's Office
201 E. Washington Avenue
P.O. Box 7946
Madison, WI 53707-7946
Telephone: (608) 266-3131
Fax: (608) 266-1784
Email: sec@dwd.wisconsin.gov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 18, 2018
CONTACT: DWD Communications, 608-266-2722
On the Web: http://dwd.wisconsin.gov/news/
On Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/WIWorkforce
On Twitter: @WIWorkforce

DWD Assistant Deputy Secretary Dernbach Highlights Strong Youth Apprenticeship Partnership with Royal Credit Union

YA program experiences record level of student and employer involvement

MADISON – Today, Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Assistant Deputy Secretary BJ Dernbach visited Royal Credit Union in Eau Claire to highlight the state's Youth Apprenticeship (YA) program. Royal Credit Union has been a long-time supporter of the program, with 85 youth apprentices working with the company since 2002. Royal Credit Union employed seven youth as part of the program in the 2017-2018 school year.

"Businesses like Royal Credit Union understand that the YA program is a win for employers, a win for students and a win for Wisconsin's future workforce," Assistant Deputy Secretary Dernbach said. "Under Governor Walker, the YA program was funded at a record $3.9 million for the 2017-2018 school year, and we had record levels of students and employers participating this year. The YA program is once again demonstrating that it is one of the state's preeminent worker training solutions, preparing our young workers for their future careers."

During the 2017-2018 school year, the program had 4,324 student enrollees from 363 schools working at 3,023 Wisconsin employers. The annual earnings of the student enrollees are estimated to be over $19 million. The Chippewa Valley consortia alone had 376 YA students participating during the most recent school year working at over 250 businesses.

“Royal Credit Union is proud to participate is Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program,” said Brandon Riechers, President & CEO Royal Credit Union. “We value the contributions of the students at Royal’s high school and community offices. They provide exceptional Member service and we enjoy playing a role in preparing students for their future careers.”

For more information on Wisconsin's Youth Apprenticeship program, visit DWD's website.