Workforce Opportunity Grant

Grants of up to $75,000 to Louisiana IHEs for employee training programs in eligible locations. Funding is intended to support educational and certification programs offered by collaborating postsecondary institutions, employers, and industry groups. The purpose of the program is to improve employee skills, raise employee wages, and increase production or service capacity from industry partners. Funded programs must benefit Allen, Avoyelles, Catahoula, Grant, LaSalle, Natchitoches, Rapides, Vernon, and Winn parishes.

The Workforce Opportunity Grant provides funding to support collaborations between industry and postsecondary institutions to offer training/education for high-wage occupations for which there is demonstrated unmet employer demand within The Rapides Foundation’s Service Area. 

Applicants are encouraged to build strong partnerships between employers, industry groups, and the workforce system to design and deliver courses through accelerated learning strategies, redesigned curricula, distance learning, work-based training, and innovative uses of technology to enhance learning activities.

Eligible projects must:

• Increase the production capacity of business or industry partners.
• Increase skills and knowledge of potential employees or existing employees that will require higher wages.
• Address an immediate workforce demand.
• Offer trainings that do not exist in the region.

Priority will be given to proposals that demonstrate the following:

• Trainings that imbed nationally recognized industry-based credentials into their curriculum.
• Trainings for job opportunities with base wages over $18/hr.

Funding may be requested for the following items: Tuition, faculty/trainers, supplies, student stipends and equipment that can be explicitly linked to enhanced programmatic
implementation.