Yes, Wisconsin Loves Its Technical Colleges. And for Good Reason.

The following joint statement reflects the shared commitment of Wisconsin's 16 technical college presidents and the System Office to the institutions they lead and the communities they serve. Together, they champion the life-changing opportunities technical colleges provide for students and the essential role they play in Wisconsin's workforce and economy.

Yes, Wisconsin Loves Its Technical Colleges.

And for Good Reason.

A recent report complains that Wisconsin loves technical colleges, and puzzles over why the state insists on paying for local, hands-on technical education. The answer is simple: the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) keeps this state running. The state’s largest, most affordable higher education system educates childcare workers, dental hygienists, police officers, firefighters, EMTs, nurses, sonographers, electricians, plumbers, manufacturers, truck drivers, farmers—the essential workers we all depend on every day.

And unlike other systems, tech college graduates stay here. 93% of WTCS graduates live and work in Wisconsin. That's another reason Wisconsin loves its technical colleges: Wisconsin invests in us, and Wisconsin sees the return. That’s why public opinion polling recently found that 76% of Wisconsinites felt their local technical college was important to the success of their community.

So, it’s very curious that the CROWE report calls for cuts to Wisconsin's 16 technical colleges to instead fund UW’s budget request. The report claims Wisconsin's technical colleges are wildly overfunded, receiving over $14,000 per student from state and local taxpayers. The only problem? It’s not true. As the Wisconsin Policy Forum pointed out in its review of the data, the CROWE numbers only include full-time equivalent associate degree students. However, more than 80% of WTCS students attend part-time, and 130,000 each year enroll in technical diplomas, certificates, workforce training programs, apprenticeships, adult education and other programs the CROWE report ignores.

"That report is right about one thing," said Layla Merrifield, President of WTCS. "Wisconsin loves its technical colleges. That's because technical colleges love Wisconsin back. Every day, we're preparing the people who care for our communities, protect our families and keep our economy moving."

In reality, in 2024-25, Wisconsin's technical colleges received $867 million in public operating funds from state aid and local taxpayers. Spread across 293,000 students, that is less than $3,000 per student. Employers paid millions more for customized training, and students added $218 million for tuition. But all of that together pales in comparison to UW’s $8 billion operating budget for 160,000 students.

Meanwhile, 97% of employers who hire WTCS graduates are satisfied with their training, but employer demand far outstrips our capacity. That’s because the education we provide is also the most expensive there is: uniquely hands on, uniquely technical, and uniquely high quality. And we’re not just recognized in Wisconsin for that level of quality; we’re highly regarded on a national scale as well. Southwest Wisconsin Technical College was named the nation's top community college in 2025 by the Aspen Institute, and Chippewa Valley Technical College was recently named a Top 10 finalist for next year’s award.

That’s why 92% of WTCS graduates are employed within six months of graduation, 81% are working in careers related to their field of study, and associate degree graduates report median annual earnings over $60,000 within six months. Not ten years later. Within six months.

Those outcomes matter because Wisconsin's workforce challenge is not theoretical. Skilled labor shortages are threatening our quality of life and undermining our economy, right now. But the highest demand programs are also the most expensive. Our largest enrollments are in costly healthcare programs. A single ultrasound technician program costs around $500,000 to launch, and around $250,000 per cohort. All of those programs currently have two to three year waitlists while hospitals juggle vacancies. Similarly, Wisconsin’s advanced manufacturing ecosystem demands that technicians train on real robotics and modern automated systems, with industry-trained instructors who would be paid a premium salary in the private sector. Yes, industry-relevant education is expensive to provide.

Yet, for more than a decade, technical college funding has not kept pace. WTCS general state aid is lower today than it was in 2010. Our access to property taxes has been capped since 2014. We keep tuition affordable for average Wisconsin families. Regardless, utilities, health insurance, supplies, and services costs rise by around $25 million every year System-wide. We have trimmed our budgets year after year to make them balance, but we can no longer ignore the lack of investment.

While the Universities of Wisconsin received a $250 million increase in the last state budget, Wisconsin's technical colleges received only $2.7 million annually for general aid. To put that number in perspective, this year alone, taxpayers will support UW-Madison athletes with $15 million—five times as much—in name, image and likeness (NIL) payments.

The question for policymakers is not whether Wisconsin can afford technical colleges.

The question is how much stronger Wisconsin can become when we continue investing in the workforce, communities, and industries that drive our state's success.

About the Wisconsin Technical College System

The Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) offers more than 500 programs awarding two-year associate degrees, one- and two-year technical diplomas, short-term technical diplomas, certificates and related education for apprenticeships. The System is the major provider of customized instruction and technical assistance for Wisconsin employers. With nearly 300,000 people enrolling in a technical college each year, it is the largest higher education system in the state. And Wisconsin loves us.

###

Legal Disclaimer:

EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.