Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board

What Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board does

NWWIB is a Wisconsin non-profit corporation designated as one of eleven Workforce Development Boards operating under the federal Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA), serving the ten counties of Northwest Wisconsin (Ashland, Bayfield, Burnett, Douglas, Iron, Price, Rusk, Sawyer, Taylor, and Washburn). Founded in 1998 and headquartered in Ashland with 14 employees, the organization functions as a regional workforce intermediary connecting employers, job seekers, and youth (ages 14-24) to employment, training, and supportive services through American Job Centers, the Northwest Wisconsin CEP, and a network of community partners.

The organization's program portfolio comprises the core WIOA Adult, Dislocated Worker, and Youth services delivered via the regional CEP, plus a growing set of specialized grant-funded programs: FORWD (opioid recovery workforce support, launched May 2025), WAI 2.0 (short-term subsidized training, launched June 2025), Pathways Home 6 (re-entry services), CLICK (Digital Navigator and device lending across 30+ libraries, launched 2024), ECE BBP (childcare business startup support, launched August 2025), and QUEST (early childhood workforce training). Operational infrastructure consists of third-party platforms — the Lend Engine powering the CLICK Lending Library, MyOneFlow for online applications, and a Webflow-based website — with no proprietary technology product. Services are delivered free to participants through training provider partnerships with Northwood Technical College, Superior CDL School, and Midwest Truck Driving School.

NWWIB operates as a grant-funded non-profit with no fee-for-service pricing model; revenue derives from WIOA Title I, American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, National Health Emergency - National Dislocated Worker Grants, Digital Connectivity & Navigators Grants through the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin, and supplementary donations and corporate sponsorships. In 2024 the organization served 1,700+ individuals (136 with substance misuse support), 92 businesses with 138 service transactions, trained 351+ healthcare workers and 100+ childcare workers, and supported 56+ re-entry placements; 2025 service volume reached 1,494 individuals across an expanded program set.

Name

Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board

Legal name

Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board, Inc.

Website

https://nwwib.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

NWWIB is a Wisconsin non-profit Workforce Development Board operating under WIOA across ten Northwest Wisconsin counties, connecting employers, job seekers, and youth to subsidized training, re-entry, digital inclusion, and childcare programs via federal and state grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Workforce Development Services

NAICS

Employment Services (5613), Educational Support Services (611710), Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEDAAAOAA

Public Workforce Development Programs (WIOA/One-Stop Career Centers)

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Workforce Development Initiatives

SECONDARYEDAAAOAC

Apprenticeships, Pre-Apprenticeships & Work-Based Learning

Education/Adult & Continuing Education/Workforce Development Initiatives

SECONDARYBPAGAEAJ

Employment & Job Readiness Support Services

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Social Services & Community Support (Food, Housing, Family)

SECONDARYEDAHADAG

Workforce Development & Continuing Education Divisions (Noncredit)

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Community & Junior Colleges

SECONDARYEDAMAKAB

Internships, Externships & Work-Based Learning Placement

Education/Supplemental & Enrichment Programs (Arts, STEM, Language)/College & Career Enrichment (Mentorship, Internships, Portfolio)

Keywords

• Workforce development services
• Employment training programs
• Career counseling services
• Employer recruitment support
• Youth employment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Ashland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Federal Funding: NWWIB operates primarily as a grant-funded non-profit organization. Revenue is derived from federal and state workforce development grants including WIOA Title I, National Health Emergency - National Dislocated Worker Grants, American Rescue Plan Act Coronavirus State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds, and Digital Connectivity & Navigators Grants through the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin. Funding is administered through the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
2. Donations and Sponsorships: NWWIB accepts one-time and recurring donations via PayPal, corporate sponsorships, Walmart SparkGood registry, and Walmart Round-Up program. Corporate sponsors are listed on the organization's website.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board (NWWIB) is a non-profit workforce development organization that administers the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and specialized grant-funded programs across ten counties in Northwest Wisconsin. It delivers free career counseling, occupational skills training, supportive services, re-entry support, digital inclusion, and employer recruitment services to job seekers, youth, and businesses.

Product overview

NWWIB is a non-profit workforce development organization serving Northwest Wisconsin (10 counties) that operates as a platform of interconnected employment and training programs rather than a single product. The core program is WIOA (Workforce Innovation & Opportunity Act), which provides career and training services through regional partner Northwest Wisconsin CEP. Specialized programs include FORWD (opioid recovery workforce support), WAI 2.0 (worker advancement), Pathways Home 6 (re-entry services), and CLICK (digital inclusion). Employer-facing services include Business Support and Recruitment/Retention programs. Youth programs serve ages 14-24. The organization connects job seekers with Job Centers of Wisconsin and provides digital navigation through the CLICK program which loans devices via libraries. Programs are largely grant-funded through federal sources including WIOA, American Rescue Plan Act, and state workforce development funds.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Served 1,700+ individuals in 2024, 136 directly impacted by substance misuse, 92 businesses, trained 351+ healthcare workers and 100+ childcare workers, placed 56+ formerly incarcerated individuals.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

14 partnerships are on record, tiered core and notable.

• Wisconsin Early Childhood Association (WECA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWECA is leading the Early Childhood Education Business Builder Program (ECE BBP), a partnership with NWWIB and WEDC. WECA provides the program leadership, training curriculum, and business coaching for individuals opening new childcare businesses in Northwest Wisconsin.
• Bayfield CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBayfield County is a co-grantee and strategic partner in the CLICK Digital Navigator program. NWWIB received federal funding through Bayfield County from the U.S. Department of the Treasury's American Rescue Plan Act, with $1,220,226 awarded to Bayfield County for digital connectivity initiatives.
• Northwest Wisconsin CEPcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerNorthwest Wisconsin CEP is the regional provider of WIOA career and training services. Through an extensive network of American Job Center partners, CEP delivers workshops, training assistance, and employment opportunities to Northwest Wisconsin residents, businesses, and communities.
• Northern Waters Library ServicecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNorthern Waters Library Service partners with NWWIB to station Digital Navigators at libraries across the region, providing in-person digital literacy support and device lending services.
• EnbridgenotableStrategic or Co-development PartnerEnbridge hosted a job fair for NWWIB's WAI 2.0 cohort of OSHA 40, Heavy Equipment, and CDL graduates. Enbridge is a major regional employer and pipeline company that actively recruits from NWWIB's training programs.
• Halvor LinesnotableChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorHalvor Lines partnered with NWWIB through the Fast Forward grant program, hiring CDL graduates from Superior CDL School. Part of NWWIB's employer network for trucking and logistics workforce placement.
• Superior CDL SchoolcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining provider partner delivering CDL certification programs to NWWIB participants through Fast Forward, FORWD, and WAI 2.0 grant programs.
• Midwest Truck Driving SchoolcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTraining provider delivering OSHA 40, Heavy Equipment Operation, and CDL certification cohorts for NWWIB participants. Located in Escanaba, MI.
• Northwood Technical CollegecoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerRegional training partner delivering childcare training (Group Childcare Essentials Cohorts, Child Development courses), construction training, and other occupational skills programs for NWWIB participants.
• Northcentral Technical CollegenotableImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered with Reclaimed Rustic Woodworks and NWWIB to provide English as a Second Language (ESL) courses to employees hired through WIOA On-the-Job Training programs.
• Quality Jobs, Equity, Strategy, and Training (QUEST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNWWIB partners with the QUEST program to deliver Group Childcare Essentials Cohorts and Pathways to Early Childhood training, addressing the regional childcare workforce shortage.
• Collaboration of Wisconsin Rural Healthcare (COW)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOW program provides financial assistance for healthcare career training, licensing exam fees, and clinical internships for rural Wisconsin healthcare workers. NWWIB serves participants who also co-enroll in Support to Communities.
• Anderson's Towing and Bus CompanynotableOthersEmployer that hired an NWWIB CDL program graduate who earned Class A commercial vehicle license and bus/passenger endorsement through the training program.
• AM ExpressnotableOthersEscanaba, MI-based trucking company that hired an NWWIB FORWD and WAI 2.0 program graduate after CDL training.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Per Scholas: National non-profit providing tuition-free technical skills training and career placement to underserved job seekers. Comparable to NWWIB's training and placement mission for barriered populations, though focused specifically on IT/tech pathways rather than the multi-sector trades approach NWWIB uses.
• Goodwill Industries of North Central Wisconsin: Non-profit workforce development organization serving a similar rural Wisconsin region with employment placement, training, and supportive services. Comparable to NWWIB in mission and target populations (barriered individuals, reentry, disabilities) though operating outside the formal WIOA board structure.

Direct peers

• Employ Milwaukee: One of Wisconsin's 11 workforce development boards serving Milwaukee County. Comparable to NWWIB as a peer WIB with similar WIOA-funded programs, but operates in an urban rather than rural service area with larger employer base and program scale.
• Workforce Development Board of South Central Wisconsin: Wisconsin WIB serving a multi-county region with WIOA Adult, Youth, and Dislocated Worker programs, business services, and specialized grants. A close peer to NWWIB within the same state board ecosystem, sharing the same federal funding framework and oversight body.
• Northcentral Wisconsin Workforce Development Board: One of Wisconsin's 11 workforce development boards serving a rural multi-county region. Comparable to NWWIB in geographic scope, target populations (rural job seekers, dislocated workers, youth), and grant-funded service mix including training cohorts and employer engagement.
• Bay Area Workforce Development Board: One of Wisconsin's 11 designated workforce development boards, operating WIOA Title I services in its own multi-county region. Directly comparable to NWWIB as a peer WIB within the Wisconsin Workforce Development Association, with similar employer services, youth programs, and grant-funded operating model.

Others

• Wisconsin Workforce Development Association (WWDA): Umbrella association of Wisconsin's 11 workforce development boards including NWWIB. Comparable as the convening and advocacy body for the same WIOA ecosystem in which NWWIB operates, though not a direct service competitor.
• National Association of Workforce Boards (NAWB): National membership organization representing the U.S.'s 500+ local workforce development boards including NWWIB. Comparable as the policy, training, and convening body for the same WIOA board ecosystem; not a service competitor but defines the operating environment.

Broad incumbents

• CareerSource Florida Network: Statewide network of regional workforce boards administering WIOA services across Florida. Comparable to NWWIB as a larger-scale, multi-region workforce development system operating under the same federal WIOA framework, though serving a much larger and more urban geography.

Regional players

• Workforce Resources, Inc. (Riverside, IA): A Workforce Development Board operating in a neighboring Midwest state under WIOA with comparable rural workforce services. Comparable to NWWIB in operating model (WIOA board, multi-county region, employer services, training programs) though operating in a different state regulatory environment.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/northwest-wisconsin-workforce-investment-board-inc.

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Northwest Wisconsin Workforce Investment Board