Progress is being made in the commonwealth’s mission of maintaining, developing and retaining its world-class workforce.

Last Thursday, Aug. 19th, the Governor announced that nearly 18,300 Kentuckians are expected to receive skills training thanks to support provided through the Bluegrass State Skills Corp. (BSSC), a group connected to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development that helps private-sector businesses establish industry-specific training programs. 

In the fiscal year 2021, which ended June 30th, the BSSC board of directors approved roughly 6.1 million in funds and credits for 111 Kentucky facilities to train the 18,000-plus workers. Building on that momentum, the BSSC board approved more than 1.8 million in training funds and credits for nearly 4,200 trainees across 19 facilities on Aug. 4 during the first of four fiscal year 2022 meetings.

Employers across the state benefit from programs such as BSSC’s Grant-in-Aid (GIA), which provides cash reimbursements for occupational and skills upgrade training at Kentucky businesses, and Skills Training Investment Credit (STIC), which offers state income tax credits for companies to offset the costs for approved training programs. Applications for both programs are accepted and considered for approval by the BSSC Board of Directors. 

The types of operations that could qualify for BSSC incentives include manufacturing, agribusiness, non-retail service or technology, headquarters operations, state-licensed hospital operations, coal severing and processing, alternative fuel, gasification, renewable energy production, or carbon dioxide transmission pipelines. 

For more information or to apply for workforce training assistance, visit ced.ky.gov/BSSC.