Gov. Scott Walker, who never finished college, says he personally relates to the new UW on-line flexible degree program.

"I kept thinking I'd go back, got married, had one kid, had another kid, next thing you know . . . you're worrying more about paying for your kids' college education than you are for your own."

While many residents are looking for jobs, many Wisconsin businesses are struggling to find qualified workers with the specific knowledge and skills they need to fill tens of thousands of available positions, Walker said.

The UW System will work with faculty, students and employers to identify which courses of study Wisconsin needs most. Current workforce data identifies strong needs in business and management, health care and information technology....

UW Extension will be responsible for repackaging existing degree programs and breaking down courses into smaller pieces that students can complete on their own time frame, UW System spokesman David Giroux said....

So, for example, let's say you'd like to train for a nursing job, but you are working full time, you don't have all the prerequisites even to begin a nursing program, and the courses you need have only been available in certain semesters, and you're missed the deadlines to begin in the next semester. You map out what you'd need to do and it would take many years to reach your ultimate goal. But if UW plan works right, it seems that you could plunge in to the courses you need immediately, finish them as fast as you can, at home in the evenings, avoiding time away from work and avoiding commuting.

This could be a fabulous way to get to the point where you can qualify for one of these jobs that are actually needed. This seems so much better than complaining about businesses not "creating" jobs for people and trying to taxing or spending programs to get businesses to hire people they wouldn't otherwise want to hire.

Obviously, it must be done well.