IDAHO, USA — Education after high school can be expensive, but a new grant program is looking to help Idaho students pursue in-demand careers by paying for a big chunk of their tuition.
It's part of the Idaho LAUNCH program, available since November 2020 -- but now with a new twist.
In the past, the program was only for adults looking to get help paying for training required for certain jobs like electricians or truck drivers. It has since expanded to include high school graduates that are not really interested in traditional post-secondary education.
"The expansion of Idaho LAUNCH is going to provide an opportunity for every graduating senior, starting with the class of 2024," Executive Director of the Workforce Development Council Wendi Secrist said.
The launch program is looking for graduates who want to pursue jobs like a CNA, electrician truck driver or any job that requires a certificate or being a part of an apprenticeship program.
"The opportunity to go on to some form of post-secondary education,” Secrist said. “We'll be able to provide a grant of up to $8,000 or 80% of the cost of tuition and fees to help them do so."
Students looking to go to an Idaho community college, technical school or workforce training program can apply.
"There's this group of programs that offer pretty quick pathways to good paying jobs and they don't qualify for federal financial aid,” Secrist said. “They don't qualify for traditional scholarship programs."
That doesn't mean students that are looking at going to an Idaho University, taking the traditional route, wouldn't get any assistance.
"The program would have to be aligned to an in-demand career. So engineering, computer science, nursing,” Secrist said. “You know, other programs that align to the in-demand careers, they'd be able to use their LAUNCH funding for that."
Funding for the program comes from the $80 million Governor Brad Little and lawmakers secured during the 2022 session last September.
Secrist say connecting students with different pathways to succeed is the purpose of providing this help.
"I could do that with a four-year apprenticeship and have no college debt or I could do that with a six-week licensing program,” Secrist said. “People are seeing the opportunities."
Applications for the LAUNCH program opens Oct. 3 and you can apply on the program’s website.
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