MADISON, Wis. -- The Madison Area Technical College will receive nearly $760,000 during the next two years to provide health information technology training that will help move Wisconsin toward a system of electronic medical records.

The initiative is part of a nationwide effort to meet requirements of the HITECH Act, which mandates that every U.S. citizen have an electronic medical record by 2014.

"Madison College is honored to have been selected to participate in this important initiative that will not only produce jobs for the residents of our district, but important jobs that will result in lives saved and lower health care costs," said Dr. Mark Lausch, dean of Madison College's center for health and safety education, in a news release.

The grant will allow Madison College to train 300 health care information technology workers on how to integrate electronic health records at hospitals, doctor's offices and other medical facilities. The salary range for these jobs is $45,000 to $60,000.

Evening classes for the six month certificate program are scheduled to begin at Madison College the week of Sept. 27.

For more information on the new Health Information Technology training program go to matcmadison.edu/hit or call 608-246-6101.