Idaho Governor Touts Apprenticeships — and Launch

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Gov. Brad Little touted Idaho’s growing apprenticeship programs Wednesday.

He also used the occasion to talk up one of his pet projects: the fledgling Idaho Launch post-high school incentives program.

“There are multiple pathways to success,” Little said Wednesday, at a proclamation ceremony in Meridian marking November as Idaho Apprenticeship Month. “We need more young Idahoans to go on to postsecondary education, and we’ve been very intentional about expanding ‘go-on’ to include opportunities outside of the traditional four-year college degree – including apprenticeships.”

Idaho now offers about 2,400 apprenticeships, a number that has increased by 40% over the past three years, according to a Wednesday news release from Little’s office.

The state has put more than $10 million into building apprenticeship programs over the past five years, and starting next year, the state will put about $75 million of additional money into Launch.

High school seniors can now apply for Launch grants of up to $8,000, which they can put toward two- or four-year college, career-technical education or worker training programs. Grants will go out next summer.

This story was originally published on IdahoEdNews.org.

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