Pair of Hoosier Energy co-ops receive apprenticeship grants

A pair of Hoosier Energy cooperatives were recently awarded grants as part of the State Apprenticeship Expansion program.

Clark County REMC was awarded $10,000 and Harrison County REMC $7,000 for apprentices dating back to 2019.

To qualify, apprentices must have at least 2,000 on-the-job training hours and be registered with the Department of Labor (DOL). The co-ops received $1,000 for each qualifying apprentice.

The DOL initiated the program in 2016 with a grant of $50.5 million to expand Registered Apprenticeship Programs (RAPs) in states nationwide.

In the spring of 2018, the DOL made $50 million in continuation funding available to 37 State Apprenticeship Expansion grantees. The goal was to spark an additional 10 percent growth over the next two years of the grant period.

Most recently, Indiana was awarded a $3.9 million grant in 2022 to expand apprenticeship programs across the state.