Creation of the Transitional Jobs Task Force

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle

Governor Jim Doyle’s 2004-2005 budget proposes to increase employment and earnings opportunities for low-income families by establishing a framework for a new voluntary W-2 transitional jobs program. By creating this new W-2 transitional jobs employment and training category for use by W-2 participants, with access to work site mentoring, education and training and transportation services, W-2 participants would have an enhanced opportunity to build work skills and experience, become economically self-sufficient and move more quickly into unsubsidized employment.

In states across the country, including Pennsylvania, Vermont, Washington, California, Illinois and Minnesota, wage-paying transitional jobs have emerged as a successful option for assisting low-income individuals to experience the responsibilities and rewards of paid employment, including access to the increased disposable family income provided through eligibility for the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), while also learning real workplace skills.

Transitional jobs provide participants real wages for real work as well as the incentives of the regular workplace. Additionally, by leveraging the federal EITC, millions of untapped federal dollars would be brought into Wisconsin and areas of economic distress.