Bluegrass State Skills Corp. approved training funds
for over 30,000 Kentucky workers during fiscal year 2025
FRANKFORT, Ky. (May 15, 2025) – Today, Gov. Andy Beshear highlighted new investment in Kentucky’s workforce development initiatives to further maintain and advance the commonwealth’s thriving economy.
Over 11,700 Kentuckians will receive skills training thanks to support provided through the Bluegrass State Skills Corp. (BSSC), which oversees programs attached to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development that help private-sector businesses establish industry-specific training initiatives.
“One of Kentucky’s greatest strengths is our hard-working, talented and diverse workforce, and we must continue to provide the resources needed for our workers to develop and grow,” said Gov. Beshear. “The commonwealth’s economy continues to thrive, and to keep that momentum going, we need to connect Kentucky employees with skills training opportunities. We are committed to building a better Kentucky, and programs like BSSC are helping us reach that goal.”
This month’s approvals included workforce training support for over 10,000 employees at Ford Motor Co.’s Fern Valley Road and Chamberlain Lane locations in Louisville. Other approvals include 273 trainees for Highlands Diversified Services in London, 269 employees at Steel Technologies in Louisville, 209 workers at F&E Aircraft Maintenance in Erlanger and 121 trainees at Amneal Pharmaceuticals in Glasgow, among others.
The most recent BSSC meeting concludes fiscal year 2025, where in total, the BSSC board approved more than $9.5 million in training funds and credits for over 30,600 trainees across 115 Kentucky facilities.
In fiscal year 2024, the BSSC board of directors approved roughly $19 million in funds and credits for 104 Kentucky facilities to train 42,600-plus workers, the most since 2016.
Gov. Beshear previously announced over $10 million for 115 applicants throughout the state to train nearly 35,000 workers for fiscal year 2023. The state also provided over $8.4 million in funds and credits during fiscal year 2022. Those funds assisted with workforce training for more than 35,400 Kentucky employees.
Employers across the state benefit from BSSC’s Grant-in-Aid (GIA) and Skills Training Investment Credit (STIC) programs. GIA provides cash reimbursements for occupational and skills upgrade training at Kentucky businesses, while STIC offers state income tax credits for companies to offset the costs for approved training programs. Applications for both programs are accepted and considered for approval by the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation Board of Directors.
Types of operations that could qualify for BSSC incentives include manufacturing, agribusiness, nonretail service or technology, headquarters operations, state-licensed hospital operations, coal severing and processing, alternative fuel, gasification, renewable energy production or carbon dioxide transmission pipelines.
For more information on the Bluegrass State Skills Corp. or to apply for workforce training assistance, visit ced.ky.gov/BSSC.
Kentucky’s investment in workforce development builds on the best five-year period for economic growth in state history.
Since the beginning of his administration, Gov. Beshear has announced more than 1,100 private-sector new-location and expansion projects totaling over $35 billion in announced investments, creating more than 60,500 jobs. This is the highest investment figure secured during the tenure of any governor in the commonwealth’s history and $14 billion more than the next highest total.
The robust job creation has been accompanied by rising wages across the commonwealth. Since 2022, the average incentivized hourly wage has topped $26 in three consecutive years for the first time.
Gov. Beshear has announced some of the largest economic development projects in state history, which have solidified Kentucky as the electric vehicle battery production capital of the United States: Ford Motor Co. and SK On’s transformative $5.8 billion, 5,000-job BlueOval SK Battery Park in Hardin County; AESC’s $2 billion, 2,000-job gigafactory project in Warren County; Toyota’s $1.3 billion investment in Scott County; and Shelbyville Battery Manufacturing’s $712 million investment, creating 1,572 jobs in Shelby County, among others.
The Governor’s administration also secured the largest General Fund budget surplus and Rainy Day Fund. In 2023, Kentucky recorded over 2 million jobs filled for the first time ever and has stayed above that number ever since.
Kentucky also secured rating increases from major credit rating agencies Fitch Ratings, S&P Global Ratings and Moody’s Investors Service.
Site Selection magazine ranked Kentucky in the top five nationally and second in the South Central region for economic development projects per capita in its 2024 Governor’s Cup rankings. Last April, Site Selection placed Kentucky second in the South Central region and in the top 10 nationally in its 2024 Prosperity Cup ranking, which recognizes state-level economic development agencies for their success in landing capital investment projects.
Gov. Beshear also announced a new initiative, called New Kentucky Home, to increase economic investment, attain and attract talent, and increase tourism across the state.
Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at CED.ky.gov. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion at facebook.com/CEDkygov, on Twitter @CEDkygov, Instagram @CEDkygov and LinkedIn.