$3M grant to expand Latinx tech training

Madison nonprofit Centro said on April 17 that it secured a nearly $3 million commitment from Ascendium Education Group to build a tech hub for Latinx residents. (madison365.com) Centro announced the grant at its 2026 Strategic Update at its new South Side headquarters, 2403 Cypress Way. The group said the Centro Tech Hub will focus on digital literacy, workforce training, entrepreneurship and leadership opportunities in Dane County and beyond. (madison365.com) The project is set up in three phases: community-informed research, expansion of Centro’s in-house training pathways, and a bilingual online learning platform. Centro said the hub is intended to widen access for Latinx learners across Wisconsin, not just in Madison. (madison365.com) An apprenticeship is an “earn while you learn” model in which employers provide job training and a college or training center provides classroom instruction. Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development says the format is designed for both new workers and people moving into a new occupation. (dwd.wisconsin.gov) That matters in Madison because the city’s tech economy has grown faster than its Latino representation in tech leadership and hiring pipelines, leaving nonprofits and professional groups to build their own support systems. The Latino Professionals Association of Greater Madison says its core work includes mentorship, skill-building and networking for Latino professionals. (lpamadison.org) Centro’s announcement also lands in a local workforce network that already includes the Latino Academy of Workforce Development, which says it provides linguistically and culturally competent adult education in Madison. The academy’s offices are on Landmark Place on the city’s South Side, a corridor that has become a hub for Latino-serving organizations. (latinoacademywi.org) Ascendium, which is based in Madison, says its mission is to make education and training beyond high school available to more people. Its philanthropy arm says it funds pathways that connect postsecondary education and workforce training to good jobs, especially for learners from low-income backgrounds. (ascendiumeducation.org; ascendiumphilanthropy.org) Centro Executive Director Karen Menéndez Coller said the hub is meant to make sure Latinx families are “prioritized” as the organization builds new pathways into technology and innovation. The next test is whether Centro can turn the grant into classes, employer ties and placements that last beyond the first launch phase. (madison365.com)