The U.S. Department of Labor is awarding $1.2 million to the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation for an Apprenticeship Grant.
The Department hopes to use the grant to expand apprenticeships across the state over the next three years.
Marcia Hultman is the Secretary of Labor and Regulation. She says this will be helpful to those who live in rural communities.
"Maybe they have family commitments in their home community, and they can’t always relocate to do a training program someplace else," says Hultman. "So, this allows for individuals to stay in their home communities to be learning a skill and to actually be earning a wage at the same time.”
Hultman says she hopes this grant will work to expand apprenticeships in areas like healthcare and computer technology.
The grant is also providing a financial incentive to businesses when hiring an apprentice to offset the upfront cost of training.