Less than 48 hours after his decisive re-election victory on Nov. 4, Gov. Scott Walker visited Madison College’s Ingenuity Center to speak about job growth and worker training.

Walker said that he told his staff that he wanted to get out and go around the state on Nov. 6, and that touring the technical college system woul d be a great way to do that.

“No matter where you fit on the political spectrum, if you care about the economy, if you care about good-paying, family-supporting jobs, then our technical colleges are leading the way,” Walker said. “That’s certainly the obvious, but the other part is that I increasingly believe that our technical colleges are leading the way in economic development.”

Walker relayed that he speaks to employers weekly that need to fill manufacturing jobs that would increase business productivity and profitability.

Through the Wisconsin Fast Forward program, a subsidiary of Walker’s “Blueprint for Prosperity,” $15 million was allocated to technical colleges. Madison College received $5 million with $2.7 million earmarked for manufacturing education.

“We know that it’s an investment and provides a direct output. You put something in, you get something out- it’s like machines and technology,” Walker said. “It’s something unique to tech colleges.”

Walker described the “two customers” involved in a technical college education, the students and employers.

“The key with out technical college, particularly with the grants that we’ve funded, we understand that the two go together,” he said.

The event was part of a tour of technical colleges that included Milwaukee, Oak Creek, Wausau, Lacrosse, and Green Bay before ending in Madison.

Walker turned down an invitation to speak at the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents meeting Thursday, opting instead to speak at technical colleges.

“We wanted to make an emphasis, less that 48 hours after the election, that one of the best ways to get back to work is in a place that helps people get to work, and get jobs that provide great careers,” Walker said.

Following about eight minutes of remarks, Walker met informally with staff and faculty before holding a short press conference.

Much of the questioning focused on Walker’s 2016 presidential aspirations- to which he remained non-committal.Go