Youth Skills Training Program

The Youth Skills Training (YST) program encourages, promotes and supports the development of local partnerships between schools, employers and community organizations. These local partnerships provide students with related classroom instruction, safety training, industry-recognized credentials and paid work experience in high-growth and high-demand occupations in the industries of advanced manufacturing, agriculture, automotive, health care and information technology. Successful applicants will demonstrate the ability to achieve these objectives through various means including outreach, education, training and supportive services for students.

Grants

• The sixth round of Youth Skills Training grants is currently in process. View more information.

YST@DLI program approval

Programs must be approved prior to students starting paid work experience. Download program approval forms.

Programs are not required to be a YST grant recipient to become an approved YST program.

Program guide

The Youth Skills Training Program Guide provides resources to create a new Youth Skills Training program or enhance an existing program.

YST grants awarded 

• April 12, 2022:  Department of Labor and Industry announces 2022 Youth Skills Training grant recipients

• Feb. 24, 2021:  Eleven partnerships awarded Youth Skills Training grants.

• Jan. 22, 2020:  Seventeen partnerships to receive Youth Skills Training grants.

• Jan. 3, 2019:  Five partnerships awarded Youth Skills Training grants. 

• June 8, 2018 news release about grant awards

General information about YST@DLI

• Sign-up for email updates about YST@DLI

• Overview of YST@DLI

• Overview presentation

• Legislation about YST@DLI

• Report to the Minnesota Legislature, Feb. 1, 2022

More information

• Learn about Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline

• Minnesota child labor laws

Questions?

Rich Wessels, project manager, rich.wessels@state.mn.us or 651-284-5184