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From Training to Career: Ascendium Equips Hundreds of Apprentices with Tools of the Trade Scholarship

2025-05-01  |  22:55:06
Ascendium Education Group, Elevating Opportunity

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Ascendium has supported WTCS apprentices over the past 12 years through our Tools of the Trade Scholarship Program. The program provides $2,000 scholarships to eligible apprentices for tools, clothing, equipment, tuition, and other needs.

Tools of the Trade 2025

WI, UNITED STATES, May 1, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Wisconsin employers struggle to find, attract, and keep qualified employees, especially in skilled labor occupations where individuals need specialized training for in-demand jobs. Apprenticeships can offer a solution to employers who face shortages of skilled labor by allowing them to create their own highly skilled workforce. According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development Bureau of Apprenticeship Standards (Wisconsin DWD-BAS), over 3,000 employers are currently involved in Wisconsin apprenticeships. These employers train thousands of registered apprentices annually in around 200 occupations, with new occupations approved regularly as employment needs shift over time.

Working closely with the Wisconsin DWD-BAS, the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) develops apprenticeship programs to meet employer needs and provides classroom instruction for industrial, construction, and other sectors. WTCS’s recently released Apprenticeship Completion report sheds light on the power of apprenticeships to change lives by providing a pathway to a good, family-sustaining job. Based on a survey in fall 2023, individuals who received an apprenticeship completion certificate from a WTCS college in 2022-2023 reported earning an annual median salary of $96,733. Additionally, 96% of apprentices reported that they were still working in the state after completing their program.

Because of these and other benefits, interest in apprenticeships from employers and individuals continues to grow, as noted in the Wisconsin DWD-BAS 2024 Year in Review. In 2024, active registered apprenticeship contracts reached another record high of 17,542 apprentices, surpassing the previous all-time high of 16,926 apprentices in 2023. This is an 81% increase compared to 2012, when a 24-year low in contracts was recorded in Wisconsin.

Ascendium invests in efforts to increase effective postsecondary education and workforce training pathways that lead to good, family-sustaining jobs. There is strong evidence that apprenticeships in certain sectors and occupations can lead to upward mobility. It’s why Ascendium has supported WTCS apprentices over the past 12 years through our Tools of the Trade Scholarship Program. The program provides $2,000 scholarships to eligible apprentices for tools, clothing, equipment, tuition, and other needs that help them complete the required education and training for their trade.

This year, 801 construction and industrial trade apprentices received Tools of the Trade scholarships for a total of $1,602,000.
Since its creation in 2013, the program has awarded over $6 million in scholarships to more than 4,300 apprentices statewide. Apprentices are eligible to apply for a scholarship if they are enrolled at a WTCS college, receiving credit for both fall and spring semesters, are enrolled in an eligible construction or industrial trade, and demonstrate financial need.

“For many learners from low-income backgrounds, finding a credential or training program that offers a clear return on their time and money is difficult,” said Keith Witham, President and Chief Executive Officer at Ascendium. “Because they offer applied, job-relevant training and allow learners to continue getting paid while completing that training, apprenticeships are a compelling option for those seeking a clear path to a better career.”

“The Wisconsin Technical College System deeply appreciates Ascendium’s unwavering support for our apprenticeship students over the years," said Layla Merrifield, WTCS President. "Time and again, apprenticeships have proven to be a reliable pathway to excellent jobs with family-sustaining wages. The Tools of the Trade scholarships offer crucial assistance, helping students successfully complete their education, ensuring skilled talent for employers statewide.”

2024-2025 Tools of the Trade Scholarship Recipients

Blackhawk Technical College
35 recipients

Chippewa Valley Technical College
21 recipients

Fox Valley Technical College
104 recipients

Gateway Technical College
2 recipients

Lakeshore College
41 recipients

Madison College
109 recipients

Mid-State Technical College
111 recipients

Milwaukee Area Technical College
18 recipients

Moraine Park Technical College
57 recipients

Nicolet College
2 recipients

Northcentral Technical College
28 recipients

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College
127 recipients

Northwood Technical College
10 recipients

Waukesha County Technical College
99 recipients

Western Technical College
37 recipients

About Ascendium: Ascendium Education Group is committed to making education and training beyond high school a reality for more people. As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, we fund initiatives across the U.S. that help learners from low-income backgrounds achieve upward mobility; provide student and employee success solutions to colleges and businesses; invest in education-focused innovations to improve learner outcomes; and provide information, tools, and counseling to help millions of borrowers successfully repay their federal student loans. While we have many roles, we have one goal — elevating opportunity by creating a world where everyone can reach their highest potential. To learn more, visit ascendiumeducation.org.

About 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 and certificates, and classroom-related education for many Wisconsin apprenticeships. WTCS is the major provider of customized instruction and technical assistance for Wisconsin employers. With more than 280,000 people enrolling in a technical college each year, it is the largest higher education system in the state. 

Brett Lindquist
Ascendium Education Group
email us here

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William Person, 9-Year Team USA Bobsled, Launches GoFundMe to Provide HBOT to Athletes with brain damageWilliam Person CTE Recovery Center will treat athletes and military with CTE symptoms to give them hope for a higher quality lifeWilliam Person requires oxygen therapy near daily so he can think clearly and function throughout the day. Person suffers with CTE symptoms following years of repeated concussions from crashes, vibrations and g-force while bobsleddingView Out the Window of the Lake Front Property for William Person CTE Recovery CenterInside the Lake front property to become home of the William Person CTE Recovery CenterFormer Team USA Bobsled Member William Person launches GoFundMe to raise funds for a CTE Recovery Center after Industry Fails to Compensate for Brain Injuries.Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy is a lifeline for people like us with CTE, and I’m determined to make it accessible to every athlete and military veteran who needs it.”— William Person, former athlete, CTE advocateWOODLAND HILLS,, CA, UNITED STATES, July 28, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Former 9-year Team USA bobsledder William Person, lead plaintiff in the high-profile class action lawsuit spotlighted by The New York Times, Sports Litigation Alert, and Courthouse News Service, is taking matters into his own hands after rejecting a proposed settlement that offered “evaluation, but no treatment or compensation” for Team USA Olympic Bobsled athletes suffering from Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE). In addition, Person says the warning to new athletes about the dangers of repetitive concussions, which are a regular part of the sport, is not adequate in the proposed settlement for young athletes to truly understand the repercussions of the repeated concussions, including a constant state of brain fog, mass depression, and intense headaches for life, which are leading to suicide among athletes around the world. Person, whose story was first widely recognized in 2021 through media stories about “Sled Head”— the bobsled equivalent of football’s concussion crisis—has announced a GoFundMe campaign to raise $500,000 to establish a 501(c)(3) foundation that will provide free Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT) to athletes and veterans battling the devastating effects of repetitive brain trauma. Interested parties are invited to donate to the campaign at https://gofund.me/93ff9c6e. “I stood alone in court last month against all parties—including my own lawyers—because I refuse to sign off on an offer that does nothing to treat the brain injuries of the athletes—a condition we have solely based on the nature of our sport, and that doesn’t do enough to properly warn new athletes of the repercussions of the repeated concussions,” said Person. “Junior Seau changed the NFL forever when he took his life and preserved his brain for research. My teammates Pavle Jovanovic and Steve Holcomb also took their own lives because of the pain and misery of CTE, and many others around the world have joined them. This is a serious issue! It’s time we protect the brains of our winter athletes with the same urgency we do in football.” THE SILENT CRISIS: CTE BEYOND FOOTBALL Person’s mission underscores what appears as an overlooked epidemic in sports: while the NFL has taken major steps to address concussions and long-term cognitive decline, winter sports have largely escaped the same scrutiny—even though Olympic bobsledders endure G-forces 10 times greater than fighter pilots, combined with violent ice vibrations likened to “shaken baby syndrome.” • In 2020, Person’s close friend and teammate Pavle Jovanovic died by suicide and was diagnosed Stage 4 CTE. “I remember Pavle calling me speaking gibberish. He hung up, frustrated, because I couldn’t understand his words. Soon after, he hung himself. It haunts me to this day,” said Person. • Studies continue to reveal athletes in sports from hockey to soccer to Olympic bobsledding show markers of CTE, a neurodegenerative disease associated with aggression, depression, memory loss, and tragically, suicide. A PERSONAL PATH TO HEALING — AND GIVING BACK Inspired by Joe Namath’s public journey using HBOT to regain mental clarity, Person sought the same treatments. “Before Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, I was on my hands and knees crawling in my own house, convinced I was dying. Today, I still struggle, but my quality of life has dramatically improved,” Person said. “Some athletes have fully reversed their symptoms by using HBOT. This therapy is a lifeline for people like us with CTE, and I’m determined to make it accessible to every athlete and military veteran who needs it.” Through his new nonprofit—William Person CTE Recovery Center—Person plans to: • Provide free HBOT treatments at his Midwest lakeside property and future St. Louis facility. • Cover travel, lodging, food, and ongoing support for athletes too impaired to navigate care alone. • Fund CTE-neurology specialists and trained HBOT doctors who understand these complex cases and won’t dismiss them as “ordinary headaches” or “depression.” • Expand into additional cutting-edge modalities to combat cognitive decline. WHY NOW — AND WHY REPORTERS SHOULD CARE Person’s story is one of hard-earned hope and deep urgency. “The class action lawsuit was meant to protect and heal us. But they offered nothing—no compensation, no treatment. Just evaluations. That’s unacceptable. We’re not test subjects. We’re human beings suffering because of our sports,” he said. This mission is especially poignant following The New York Times’ and Courthouse News Service’s original reporting on Person’s lawsuit, and the tragic coverage of his teammates Jovanovic and Holcomb, along with the many others suffering with CTE and committing suicide because of it. HOW YOU CAN HELP • Donate or share Person’s fundraiser: https://gofund.me/93ff9c6e • Contact for interviews or to cover this story: Jennifer@engagementpr.com; 949-933-4300. Person is calling on sports leagues, medical researchers, fellow athletes, parents, and the public to rally behind this cause—because as he puts it: “We can’t wait for another funeral to decide brain injuries matter. Together, we can save lives.” Support in Court Person goes back to court Wednesday, July 30 at 10 am, United States Courthouse Central District of California, 312 N. Spring Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012, Department 6. Parties interested in supporting Person in court are welcome to sit in. Please wear blue, like a blue t shirt, and write in bold: “Bobsled = CTE” and/or “HBOT Saves Brains.”
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