$3M grant targets Madison Latinx tech jobs
- A $3 million grant was announced to expand tech training and job placement for Madison's Latinx residents. - The program will invest $3,000,000 in curriculum, apprenticeships, and employer partnerships focused on Latinx learners. - Organizers hope the grant boosts local diversity in tech and creates higher-wage career pathways ( patch.com )
Centro, a Madison nonprofit serving Dane County’s Latinx community, said on April 17 that it had secured nearly $3 million to build a tech training hub. (wispolitics.com) The money is coming from Ascendium Education Group and will fund the new Centro Tech Hub, which Centro announced at its 2026 Strategic Update at the group’s new South Side headquarters. (madison365.com) Centro said the hub will roll out in three phases: community research, expansion of in-house training programs, and a bilingual online learning platform. The organization said the project is aimed at digital literacy, workforce development, entrepreneurship, and leadership. (wispolitics.com) A tech hub in this context is a place that teaches digital skills, connects people to employers, and helps turn short-term training into paid work. Coverage of the plan said the Madison site is expected to offer career counseling, internships, apprenticeships, and job-placement help. (nationaltoday.com) Centro said the hub is expected to open in August 2026. The organization said the program is designed for Dane County’s Latinx residents, with a broader reach across Wisconsin over time. (nationaltoday.com) The timing lines up with a larger workforce push in Wisconsin. The state Department of Workforce Development said in April 2024 that computer and mathematical occupations were projected to be the fastest-growing major job group in the state through 2025. (dwd.wisconsin.gov) Dane County is also getting larger and more Latino. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates the county had 590,375 residents in July 2025, and 8.2% of them identified as Hispanic or Latino. (census.gov) Centro framed the grant as a response to underrepresentation in technology jobs. Ascendium has backed related workforce efforts in Madison before, including a $300,000 gift in September 2025 to the Latino Academy of Workforce Development, which said it serves more than 2,500 residents a year across south-central Wisconsin. (ascendiumeducation.org) Centro said it now serves more than 7,500 people a year with more than 20,000 hours of programming, giving it an existing base for recruiting students into the new hub. The next test is whether that grant money turns training slots into actual tech jobs by the August launch and after. (wispolitics.com)
