Colorado is offering $2.5 million in grants to expand high school apprenticeship programs aimed at preparing youth to enter the workforce. 

Colorado has over 300 active apprenticeship programs with more than 6,000 participants, according to state estimates. But as of March, only 0.02% of the apprentices are under the age of 18. 

The grant-funded apprenticeships will provide students with first-hand job experience and allow them to begin career-specific training and education before they graduate high school. Gov. Jared Polis announced the grants on Wednesday as the fourth and final round of funding from the Response, Innovation and Student Equity Education program. 

“I am thrilled to announce that this program will now support students in achieving future career goals,” Polis said. “Building new pathways for students to participate in apprenticeship opportunities provides incredible experiences, develops Colorado’s workforce, and helps students get started in their dream jobs.”

Applications for the grants are open through Oct. 16 and available at colorado.gov/governor/risefund. Recipients will be announced in the last week of October. 

Each grant will be between $250,000 and $500,000. Eligible applicants include public school districts, authorized charter schools, government education entities and nonprofits that place students in apprenticeships. Programs that target in-demand industries and serve underrepresented or rural populations will be prioritized for grants. 

The grants come as Polis has repeatedly turned to apprenticeships as a method to try to address workforce shortages in the state. 

There are two job openings in Colorado for every one unemployed worker. But there is “a mismatch of skills between those who are unemployed and seeking work, and all the great jobs that are out there,” Polis said while highlighting high school apprenticeships during an August education summit. 

Earlier this month, Polis signed an executive order to expand apprenticeship programs within state agencies. In May, he approved $45 million to fund construction apprenticeships, short-term nursing programs, and free community college for students pursuing credentials in firefighting, law enforcement, nursing, early childhood education, elementary education and forestry.

The RISE program, launched in 2020, invests in innovative strategies to improve education and student success to address the impacts that COVID-19 had on education. 

The RISE program has allocated $42 million in grants over three years. This latest $2.5 million comes from the Governor’s Emergency Education Relief fund.