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Wyoming Innovation Partnership awards nearly $25 million to expand training programs
Summary
The Wyoming Innovation Partnership told the council it funded 26 phase-two projects for just under $25 million from 44 applications, prioritizing collaboration, sustainability and measurable workforce metrics. WHIP officials emphasized data-driven metrics and plans to report phase‑one outcomes by the end of June.
The Wyoming Innovation Partnership (WHIP) briefed the Workforce Development Council on May 11 about phase‑two awards to expand training and curricular alignment across community colleges, K‑12 and industry partners.
Executive Director Lauren Shonfeld said the state received 44 phase‑two applications requesting about $46 million; WHIP funded 26 proposals for just under $25 million, and held back roughly $1.9 million to work with applicants that needed stronger collaboration or metric alignment. "We funded 26 applications for just under $25 million," Lauren said, noting the awards spanned infrastructure, energy, manufacturing, healthcare, tourism and other component areas.
WHIP staff described a three‑phase approach: phase one established programs and infrastructure, phase two funds broader scaling and shared curricula, and phase three will measure long‑term return on investment. Lauren said WHIP has identified short‑ and long‑term metrics (20 and 19 respectively) and will publish a report with phase‑one outcomes at the end of June, including student touchpoints, program counts and infrastructure investments.
Shonfeld emphasized sustainability: much phase‑one funding initially came from ARPA and the partnership is working to ensure programs continue after the award period through collaborations, institutional buy‑in and budget planning. She said WHIP will publish award summaries and agreements on its website for public review.
Council members asked about wage outcomes and whether WHIP is tracking why students leave or return to the state. Lauren said long‑term metrics include wages and that the partnership is still building mechanisms to follow students after they leave Wyoming.
WHIP's awards and continued metrics work dovetail with the council's workforce investments; staff encouraged council members to use WHIP materials for local outreach and employer recruiting.
