ABOUT THE YOUTH SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM
Youth Skills training program
While many high school graduates end up going on to continue their educations , college is not for everyone . The good news is you don ’ t need a 2-or-4-year degree to find a good paying job .
Recognizing the need to expose young people to possible careers that do not require a degree , in 2017 The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry started up the Youth Skills Training Program ( YST ). YST was designed to develop and implement paid learning opportunities in a variety of industries for students ages 16 and over . Targeted industries include advanced manufacturing , agriculture , automotive , health care and information technology .
It has been a couple of years since the grant period ended for the $ 100,000 in funding VHEDC received from the program , but we are happy to share that several schools in our region continue to benefit .
“ Even after the grant funding ends , we continue to support programs and partnerships throughout the state to provide students with industry exposure , classes for high school credit directly related to those industries , an industry recognized credential or certification , and also a paid work experience at a local employer site ,” said Rich Wessels , Program Manager for the Youth Skills Training Program ( YST ) at the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry . He has been in charge of the program since its inception .
“ That first year we had five programs , and are now up to fifty , so it has grown significantly ,” he said . “ Each year , we give out an additional 10-to-12 grants to either create Youth Skills Training programs or to expand on the programs that already exist .”
Wessels explained that funding can be used to pay for such things as a company ’ s staff member to coordinate and organize the YST program , for transportation to get students to and from tours , trainings and paid work experience , for certifications directly related to the industry , and for supplies and curriculum .
ABOUT THE YOUTH SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAM
The Youth Skills Training Program is a legislatively funded program that since 2017 has provided nearly 35,000 students with industry exposure . Each year $ 1 million in grant funding is awarded to partnerships throughout the state .
In the last grant round , there were 11 new programs started that introduce students to jobs in the areas of advanced manufacturing , agriculture , automotive , health care and information technology .
More information about the Youth Skills Training program can be found on the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry website at this link : Dli . mn . gov / yst
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