Windom Area High School getting YST program funding

Due to a new appropriation during the 2023 Legislative Session, five additional partnerships across Minnesota will receive funding to develop and expand programs to offer meaningful career exposure and paid work experience for students 16 years of age and older.

One of the five additional partnerships involves Windom Area High School. The grants are part of the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry’s (DLI) Youth Skills Training (YST) program that was signed into law in 2017 with bipartisan support to create and provide employment training for student learners ages 16 and older in high-growth, high-demand occupations.

The five partnerships will receive and split $500,000 in funding to be used for programs operating from Oct. 1, 2023, to June 30, 2025. The partnerships will offer safe, meaningful work experience in advanced manufacturing, agriculture, automotive, health care and information technology.

Grants can be used to create programs, recruit students and employers, provide training, transport students and pay for industry-related student certifications. A seventh round of grant applications will open in winter 2023.