Workforce Development Training Fund

The Workforce Development Training Fund is a unique program that helps employers provide training in their organizations. This Fund has established three different types of grants that address workforce training needs: Business Training Grants, Pre-Hiring Economic Development Grants and Pre-Obligation Grants.

Workforce Development Training Fund Annual Reports

Business Training Grants

Grants for Existing Positions

These grants help fund skill upgrades for your existing employees. Business Training Grants for Existing Positions can provide up to $2,000 per trainee per fiscal year for established Wyoming businesses with existing employees who need a skill upgrade or need re-training in their current occupations. In order for training to be approved, the business must demonstrate the following:

  • Training will either correct an employee's skill deficiency or upgrade an employee's current skill level;
  • There is a direct relationship between the training and the trainee's occupation or craft;
  • The training is not normally provided by the business;
  • The business will not substitute funds normally provided for training or funds obtained from another source with Business Training Grant funds;
  • There is a need for the skill upgrade provided by the training for the business to remain competitive in the industry or economy; and
  • The skill upgraded provided by the training will:
    • Enhance the business's productivity, efficiency or profitability;
    • Reduce employee turnover;
    • Enhance employee effectiveness; or
    • Enhance employee wages.

Grants for New Positions

These grants help fund training for your new employees. Business Training Grants for New Positions can provide between $1,000 and $4,000 per trainee per fiscal year, depending on the employee's full-time status and wage amount. Grants for New Positions were developed to assist Wyoming businesses in two ways:

  1. Wyoming Business Expansion - One of the most difficult issues facing a company trying to expand its services and workforce is the overwhelming cost associated with hiring and training a workforce during the start-up phase of the expansion. The Workforce Development Training Fund can help a growing Wyoming business by deferring much of the business's training costs during the expansion phase.
  2. New Business Recruitment - The Workforce Development Training Fund is a tool for the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services to partner with Wyoming's economic development entities in recruitment of new businesses to our state. During the site selection phase of the business recruitment process, all of the benefits of choosing Wyoming over another state become crucial. The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services works with our economic development partners to ensure that a business considering Wyoming as a place of operation will know how the Workforce Development Training Fund can help create a successful start-up by deferring much of the its training costs.

Pre-Hiring Economic Development Grants

These grants focus on creating a trained workforce for specific Wyoming industry. The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services recognizes the importance of an educated, skilled workforce in promoting Wyoming's economic growth. To foster this growth, the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services assist employers with the Pre-Hire Economic Development Grant Program.

The Pre-Hire Economic Development Grant Program is designed to train skilled workers in a particular business, businesses or industry. Applications are completed through a partnering of four entities that contribute separate needs or services to the program:

  • A training entity that can deliver the training, certificate or skills the business requires;
  • A business, group of businesses or an industry with a need for workers;
  • The local or regional economic development entity that will work within the local or regional economic network to provide assistance; and
  • The local Workforce Center, which will assist in the recruitment of potential skilled workers, along with placement of trained participants.

Please call (307) 777-5396 or (307) 777-8717 with questions.

Pre-Obligation Grants

For our economic development partners, the Workforce Development Training Fund sets aside funding for large relocation or expansion projects. Pre-Obligation of Workforce Development Training Fund funding allows economic developers the flexibility to request advance allocation of Workforce Development Training Fund funding in support of a new or expanding business in Wyoming. Pre-Obligated funds may only be requested by economic development entities, and any funding allocated through Pre-Obligation must be disbursed through an approved Pre-Hire Economic Development Grant and/or a Business Training Grant for New Positions.

Please note that applications for Pre-Obligation of Workforce Development Training Fund funding are typically not required for a grant application or project with a total cost of less than $50,000. Before applying, please contact the Workforce Development Training Fund office at (307) 777-5396 or (307) 777-8717 to determine if Pre-Obligation is appropriate for your situation.

Online Application

In an effort to reduce timelines, the Workforce Development Training Fund team has been working toward giving its customers access to an online application form.

The online application form will assist in shortening the 45-day application rule to 30 days, ultimately giving customers more flexibility in their training choices.

Businesses will need to register as a user on the system prior to submitting its first application. Review of the business registrations will occur on a daily basis.

The online application boasts a secure, online messaging center to communicate with its customers.

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