DOL Awards $43M to Seven States for Skills Training in Key Industries
Federal grants target shipbuilding, manufacturing, and nuclear energy workforce gaps across seven states in the second funding round.
The U.S. Department of Labor announced Wednesday the distribution of $43 million in Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund grants to seven states, directing federal dollars toward employer-driven workforce development in shipbuilding, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, and nuclear energy sectors.
The grants, administered by the Employment and Training Administration, reimburse employers on an outcome-based model for delivering training that keeps pace with rapidly shifting skill demands and regional labor market needs. More than $10 million of the second-round awards is designated specifically for occupations tied to domestic shipbuilding and the maritime supply chain.
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The seven recipients are Colorado, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, and Washington, with individual awards ranging from approximately $4.6 million to $6.74 million. Acting Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling framed the investments as part of a broader reindustrialization push, stating that the grants are intended to equip American workers for high-skill, high-wage positions in industries the administration considers strategically vital.
Combined with a first round of more than $86 million awarded to 14 states in September 2025, the program has now committed over $129 million across 21 states. Total shipbuilding-related funding across both rounds exceeds $30 million. Other covered industries include cybersecurity, infrastructure, healthcare, information technology, quantum computing, and domestic mineral production.
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