Training Funds

The Governor’s Workforce Board offers Express Incumbent Worker Training Grants for companies that have immediate training needs for their current workforce. Up to $5,000 in matching funds is available to each employer. For example, marine companies have used these funds for off-site training of their employees by product manufacturers. The grants are noncompetitive and are accepted on a rolling basis, and funds are typically awarded within a few weeks of receipt of an application.

The Governor’s Workforce Board also provides partial wage reimbursement to Rhode Island employers through the RI Work Immersion Program. These funds can be used when offering paid internships or hiring grads of training programs, such as the Pre-Apprenticeship Program or those offered by schools such as IYRS, MTTI and New England Tech.

The program will reimburse an employer for 50% of wages paid for an eligible internship of 45-400 hours of work. If an employer hires and retains the student for 12 weeks beyond the completion of the internship, the GWB will reimburse the wages paid during the internship by an additional 25%.