The North Dakota Department of Commerce today announced that the application window for the Technical Skills Training Grant program is now open through July 7.
The continuation of the grant program was part of Gov. Doug Burgum’s Accelerate ND plan, which contained his executive recommendations to the state Legislature for strategically investing federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). During a special session in November, the 67th Legislative Assembly appropriated $15 million for regional workforce grants. Commerce was allocated $3 million of this funding to sustain and evolve The Technical Skills Training Grant program.
The Technical Skills Training Grant program aims to offset the cost for program providers and employers in their effort to support the development of highly trained skilled workers to meet the demands of our labor market.
For this year’s cycles, the grant program is now offering Track A and B options to expand the grant’s impact.
The Track B option is in addition to the original parameters from previous cycles. This option is designed for companies wishing to provide internal upskilling opportunities for their existing staff to promote movement and advancement throughout the organization, create more comprehensive onboarding and new worker training programs, and/or provide safety training for employees.
The Track A option reflects the initial intent of the grant program and is designed for new and expanding accelerated, non-degree training programs that prepare trainees for new jobs.
“Throughout the last two rounds of this program, we supported the launch and expansion of accelerated skilled workforce training programs in several sectors across the state, including health care, information technology, welding, and commercial driver’s license training,” North Dakota Commerce Workforce Division Director Katie Ralston Howe said. “Now that we’re able to support companies that are providing upskilling for incumbent workers, comprehensive onboarding, and safety training, we anticipate an even greater impact on our state’s workforce with this grant.”
Although a wide range of programs may qualify, Commerce anticipates that skilled trades and labor training programs are well-suited to develop accelerated programming or expand capacity in existing programs.
New and existing programs that began after May 17, 2021, may qualify for this grant to train workers. All training programs must mitigate a workforce issue that was created or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
More information and the Technical Skills Training Grant application can be found at ndgov.link/TSTG