Fab Lab and Small Business Development Grants will help prepare tomorrow’s workforce
MONROE, WI. MAY 1, 2025 – Students in Monroe will learn to use state-of-the-art technology while also testing their entrepreneurial skills with the help of two grants from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC).
The School District of Monroe and Green County Development Corporation (GCDC) are teaming up approach education in a new way.
“We’re trying to find ways to give kids the opportunity to have hands-on learning and try new things,” said Olivia Otte, executive director of Green County Development Corporation.
During a visit to Monroe High School Thursday, WEDC Deputy Secretary and COO Sam Rikkers was able to see some of the equipment the Fab Lab Grant had already purchased and to hear about GCDC’s plans for a youth entrepreneurship program that will be funded with a Small Business Development Grant (SBDG).
“This is a fabulous example of how schools and local and state economic development organizations can work together to prepare the next generation of Wisconsin workers,” Rikkers said. “These students are getting exposed to the technology being used in today’s jobs, but also will learn what it takes to thrive as an entrepreneur.”
A $25,000 Fab Lab Grant will allow the Monroe School District to replace old, outdated equipment with new, state-of-the-art equipment that will advance architecture, engineering, and construction studies with computer design and physical prototyping. Students will be able to creatively solve real-world needs– from concept to prototype.
“This new equipment will enable our students to become more proficient in computer-aided design and development while learning the industry-standard software programs that we teach,” said Chuck Lynch, technology and engineering teacher at Monroe High School. “Students will create physical prototypes of their design solutions, using a variety of materials and methods, in order to better evaluate and improve their designs.”
The equipment in the Fab Lab will also be integrated into classes at Monroe High School, including the LAUNCH programming—a collaborative classroom experience featuring project-based learning to solve real-world problems in the community—and other computer and technology education classes.
The district is building a new high school, which is expected to open for the 2026-2027 school year. Lynch said the new building will include specialized learning areas for the equipment, but students will still get to begin to learn on the equipment this fall.
“This will remove many of our current barriers to learning,” Lynch said. “We will no longer be hindered by the outdated and inadequate equipment, which made learning more limited and difficult.”
While the Fab Lab Grant will provide students with the opportunity for hands-on learning with state-of-the-art technology, another WEDC grant will help those who have visions of opening their own businesses.
GCDC received a $60,000 Small Business Development Grant which they’ll use to launch a two-part initiative to promote entrepreneurship and provide long-term support for small businesses.
GCDC is collaborating with the school district on the Youth Entrepreneur Program, which is designed to inspire and support student entrepreneurs.
“We want the kids to try things and for this to be a safe place for kids to fail at starting a business as well,” Otte said. “We want them to see failure as, ‘OK, I tried something and it didn’t work. What’s my next step going to be?’”
The program will include interactive workshops where students learn the basics of starting and running a business. There will also be a hands-on component where students are given $50 and two weeks to make as much money as they can with their business idea.
GDCD will work with community partners, including 4-H, FFA, and business teachers in high schools, to identify potential students to participate in the program. Students at schools throughout Green County will be eligible to participate in the program.
“We see this grant as a retention tool for the youth in our community because we understand that not everybody should, or can, go to a four-year university after high school,” Otte said. “We want high school students to recognize that one of the career options is starting your own business and we know that a lot of times high schoolers are more creative and more willing to take risks than adults.”
The second prong of GCDC’s initiative is a microloan program that will provide small business owners up to $10,000 at 0% interest. These will focus on traditionally underserved entrepreneurs.
Before visiting the high school, Rikkers visited downtown Monroe where he was updated on a pocket park and the White Block Building. The WEDC assisted with the projects with Vibrant Spaces and Community Development Investment grants.
