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Department of Workforce Services asks for 15 positions, cites staffing limits and new training ideas from Taiwan visit
Summary
At a Casper meeting of the Workforce Development Council, Department of Workforce Services Director Kie said the agency has requested general‑fund support and 15 additional positions to handle rising program demand and to support new initiatives including apprenticeship infrastructure and a proposed mobile career workshop drawn from practices seen in Taiwan.
Director Kie told the Workforce Development Council in Casper that the Department of Workforce Services has requested general‑fund appropriations from the governor and asked for 15 additional staff positions to meet a growing workload and higher program costs. "We are being asked to do more and more and more," Kie said, arguing the agency has been stretched after shifting some positions to federal funding in prior budget reductions.
Kie said the agency’s budget request aims to restore capacity so DWS can support record numbers of incoming federal projects and statewide employers. She said rising tuition and service costs for training — "we're seeing in some areas those service costs are going up 50%" — have increased demand on both staff time and program dollars.
Kie described observations from a recent weeklong exchange visit to Taiwan, emphasizing robust vocational training facilities, union‑run bakery certification programs and vocational rehabilitation enterprises. She proposed exploring a mobile training workshop — a trailer or simulator that can bring hands‑on experiences (welding, CNC operation, CDL simulators, etc.) to high‑school parking lots and community events — and urged council members to consider a demonstration trip to evaluate the model.
Kie also highlighted DWS discussions with the Joint Appropriations Committee about shifting some investment pools to increase earnings for the Workforce Development Training Fund if general‑fund support is not approved. She said the agency is still awaiting the governor’s recommendations and that any new positions or program expansions would require legislative approval.
The council did not take further action at the meeting; next steps include awaiting the governor’s prioritization of budget requests and potential follow‑up by the council if the Legislature considers the agency’s request during the upcoming session.
