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Department of Workforce Services describes apprenticeship grants, internship program and training fund
Summary
The Department of Workforce Services briefed lawmakers on the Workforce Development Training Fund, apprenticeship grant programs, and student internship grants. Officials said internships have served over 100 students recently and apprenticeship expansion and apprenticeship training grants are supporting K–12 and industry occupations.
The Department of Workforce Services told the committee it administers the Workforce Development Training Fund and several grants used to upskill Wyoming workers, support employer-driven training and underwrite apprenticeships and internships.
Director Liz Gagan summarized the fund’s grant types — business training grants, pre-hire economic development grants, internship grants, apprenticeship grants and a young-adult internship grant funded by the Wyoming Innovation Partnership — and said the fund’s grants are structured by rule chapters. “The Workforce Development Training Fund was created in 02/2002, and we provide grants, primarily to businesses, to help upskill and, retrain their employees,” she said.
Holly McKinney Simone, workforce programs administrator, reported the department awarded 83 internship grants in FY24 serving 103 interns with $744,279 awarded and 45 interns remaining employed at their host companies. She said the department overhauled the internship application after businesses flagged it as burdensome and now offers monthly Q&A sessions for applicants.
Ivy Kuragian, the state apprenticeship program lead, described registered apprenticeships as industry-led programs combining on-the-job mentoring with related technical instruction and noted that apprentices “are paid full time employees while they go through this training program” and receive a U.S. Department of Labor–recognized credential at completion. Kuragian said the department has used apprenticeship training grants and a state apprenticeship expansion formula (SAFE) fund to support programs in education, construction, IT/cybersecurity and healthcare, and has funded school-district apprenticeship initiatives for teacher and principal preparation.
Committee questions focused on program uptake and funding sources. Senator Scott asked how apprenticeship and internship grants were funded; Gagan said funding is a blend of general funds, interest on the state unemployment insurance trust fund, UI tax receipts and one federal grant that funded SAFEs. Several lawmakers asked whether application burdens and timeline constraints had been addressed; the department said it has streamlined the internship application and provided technical assistance sessions for employers.
Ending: Workforce Services asked lawmakers to note that program-start and expansion funds for apprenticeships and programmatic startup are limited, and that continued or renewed funding would be needed to expand employer-driven apprenticeships and related training statewide.
