The Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund (“Training Fund”) provides grants to State Workforce Agencies to form partnerships with eligible employers in key high-growth and emerging industry sectors to provide skills training to their current employees or newly hired workers. In September 2025, DOL awarded more than $86 million in grants to 14 states to accelerate innovation, strengthen domestic production, and address critical workforce needs across the country. Participating employers can apply for outcomes-based partial reimbursement of actual training costs on a per-employee basis. Grantees will prioritize training for in-demand skilled trades including shipbuilding occupations, occupations essential to the buildout of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure, advanced manufacturing, nuclear energy, domestic mineral production, and information technology including AI.
These grants are authorized under section 169(c) of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) and section 414(c) of the American Competitiveness and Workforce Improvement Act of 1998 (ACWIA), as amended (codified at 29 U.S.C. 3224a).
For more information about the Training Fund, please see the following:
The Training Fund recipients are as follows:
| Grantee Name | State | Industries | Award Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona Department of Economic Security | AZ | Advanced Manufacturing | $5,000,000 |
| Connecticut Department of Labor | CT | Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, Distribution/ Logistics/ Transportation, Healthcare, Information Technology, and Shipbuilding | $8,000,000 |
| Iowa Workforce Development | IA | Advanced Manufacturing | $4,682,663 |
| Louisiana Workforce Commission | LA | Construction and Industrial Trades, Advanced Manufacturing, AI-enabling Occupations Supporting Data Centers and Digital Infrastructure | $7,000,000 |
| Maine Department of Labor | ME | Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace, Defense, and Shipbuilding | $7,999,920 |
| Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity | MI | Shipbuilding | $8,000,000 |
| Mississippi Department of Employment Security | MS | Shipbuilding | $5,705,600 |
| Oklahoma Employment Security Commission | OK | Aerospace and Defense, Advanced Manufacturing, AI Infrastructure | $5,999,255 |
| State of Idaho Department of Labor | ID | Advanced Manufacturing, Domestic Mineral Production, and Nuclear Energy | $8,000,000 |
| Technical College System of Georgia | GA | Advanced Manufacturing, Construction, and Energy | $5,000,000 |
| Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce | TN | Advanced Manufacturing, Artificial Intelligence, Nuclear Energy, and Technology Infrastructure | $5,000,000 |
| Texas Workforce Commission | TX | Advanced Manufacturing, Aerospace, Artificial Intelligence, Aviation, Biotechnology, Chemical Products, Defense, Energy, Information Technology, Life Science, Petroleum Refining, Semiconductor, and Shipbuilding | $5,399,992 |
| Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development | WI | Advanced Manufacturing and Generative Artificial Intelligence | $7,330,022 |
| Wyoming Department of Workforce Services | WY | Construction, Advanced Manufacturing, Nuclear Energy, Domestic Mineral Production, IT including Artificial Intelligence, Finance and Insurance, Healthcare and Social Assistance, Tourism | $3,000,000 |