Give Gov. Walker credit

By investing in early education programs that will provide students handson, age-appropriate opportunities that will build passion and satisfaction, students will be more likely in Wisconsin to stay in school and pursue challenging career paths. Wisconsin’s workforce participation is steadily growing, which is great news. However, we need to make sure it continues to grow. Focusing on our students is the right move and one that will keep Wisconsin working — in all industries — for generations to come.

There are so many job openings across the state, however, many of them are in industries our high schools aren’t pushing. Gov. Scott Walker’s new initiative will push high schools — and now middle schools — to encourage students to seek an interest in the trades.

Right now it almost feels like students are looked down upon if they pursue anything but a four-year degree. That’s a tragedy. Many don’t understand that graduates pursuing a trade can be just as successful — if not more — than a student pursuing a four-year degree. There is such a high demand across Wisconsin that any student with a special skill will be fought over by employers. There are good-paying, steady and satisfying careers that need to be filled in our state.

Thank you, Governor Walker, for seeing this gap in Wisconsin’s workforce and working to fix it.

Michael Decker Silver Lake