MADISON, Wis. (WKBT) — Gov. Tony Evers on Thursday announced another round of grants for Wisconsin school districts, this time focusing on manufacturing education.

$450,000 from the Wisconsin Fast Forward Program will be given to 16 school districts around the state, the governor’s office announced. The money is intended to to train students for careers paths involving robotics, welding, plasma cutting, 3D printing, drones, and more, Evers said.

“As our kids prepare for their futures and explore career options, it’s critical that we’re doing everything we can to present different pathways for them to pursue, from offering specialized training to providing opportunities to earn industry-recognized credentials,” said Gov. Evers. “These grants are going to help ensure we’re investing in our own homegrown talent, giving them the tools and resources they need to learn skills for high-demand jobs in critical industries across our state while fueling collaboration among employers, school districts, and agency partners.”

This is the second grant announcement of this kind this week. Evers announced $414,000 for career technical education at 11 Wisconsin school districts Monday.

Thursday’s grant awardees include:

School District of Lodi, Columbia and Dane County | $19,220 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a CNC Laser engraver, a 3D printer, several welding benches, and Arc and MIG welders that will be used by roughly 275 students per year.

School District of Mellen, Ashland County | $20,860 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a CNC Mill with tooling and accessories, a mobile workbench, and a CNC Lathe with tooling and accessories that will be used by approximately 25 students per year.

Saint Croix Central School District, St. Croix County | $49,385 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a Haas CNC Mini Mill, tooling, software, and accessories that will be used by 350 students per year.

Rib Lake School District, Taylor County | $5,000 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a Jet Horizontal/Vertical Bandsaw, a Jet Industrial Grinder and Belt Sander, and five Lincoln Power MIG 210 Multi-Process Welders (Aluminum One-Pak) that will benefit an estimated 45 students per year as they upgrade their newly renovated welding shop.

Sauk Prairie School District, Sauk County | $49,853 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a CNC plasma cutter, a metal bandsaw, and fabrication tables that will benefit roughly 180 students per year.

School District of Wild Rose, Waushara County | $47,658 The school district will use grant funds to update its machine tool and metal fabrication equipment with the purchase of a ShopSabre RC8 CNC Router, a ShopSabre Sidekick 8 Plasma Cutter, a Flashforge Finder 3D Printer, five X-Tronic Model XTS Digital Display Soldering Iron Stations, a Universal Professional Laser Cutter and Engraver, a Brother GTX T-Shirt Press, and a TrueVIS SG2-540 Roland Digital Printer. An estimated 140 students per year will use the equipment.

Prescott School District, Pierce County | $6,170 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a planer with a helical cutterhead to enable students to process rough sawn lumber into dimensional lumber for customized CNS projects that will benefit approximately 300 students per year.

School District of Waukesha, Waukesha County | $10,000 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a Bridgeport Standard Knee Mill for use by an estimated 470 students enrolled each year in technical education, robotics, and engineering courses at Waukesha South High School and its charter school, Waukesha Engineering Preparatory Academy.

Stone Bank School District, Waukesha County | $5,840 The school district will use grant funds to purchase three 4×4 Foundational Robotics UGV Lab kits, a MINDS-i drone gimbal rig, five MINDS-i Electric Car Lab kits, software, and curricula that will benefit an estimated 60 students per year.

Clintonville Public School District, Waupaca County | $50,000 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a Miller AugmentedArc Augmented Reality Welding System and five MobileArc Welding Simulator Packages to develop a welding and manufacturing career pathway that will benefit an estimated 76 students per year.

School District of Ladysmith, Rusk County | $40,000 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a Bridgeport milling machine package with DX6 work vice, 11 piece collet set, a Fortune precision lathe package with tooling, and a Tormach xsTECH CNC Router/Benchtop milling machine to prepare 40-50 students per year to take the Machining Level 1 NIMS certification exam.

Eau Claire Area School District, Eau Claire County | $12,635 The school district will use grant funds to purchase 10 ¾ HP Belt Drive Bench Lathes as it begins to upgrade the high school’s Technology and Education Department equipment to benefit an estimated 286 students.

School District of West Salem, La Crosse County | $46,485 The school district will use grant funds to purchase new welding equipment to update and to expand its metals lab courses. The school district plans to purchase an ArcPro 4800X 4’ x 4’ CNC Plasma System with tooling and accessories, five Millermatic 255 MIG/Pulsed MIG Welders, five Miller Syncrowave 210 Auto-Line TIG Welders, and a JET ELITE Vertical Milling Machine that will serve approximately 100 students each year.

Oshkosh Area School District, Winnebago County | $18,030 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a Torchmate CNC Plasma Table with instructor training and a ShopSabre RC4 CNC Router for use by an estimated 200 students each year.

School District of Wausaukee, Marinette County | $12,265 The school district will use grant funds to purchase a CNC Router, a vinyl cutter, several robotics kits, two 3D printers, and associated computers and software that will benefit approximately 96 students per year.

Cedar Grove-Belgium School District, Sheboygan County | $50,000 The school district will use grant funds to purchase FANUC Fenceless ER-4iA R-30iB Mate Plus Controller CERT Cart robotic arm and two Minds-i STEM Integrated Robotics: UGV/UAV Drones Labs for the engineering design, mechanical and electrical engineering of autonomous vehicles that will be used by approximately 130 students per year.

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