What changed
The U.S. Department of Labor announced $43 million in second-round Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund grants to seven state agencies on Sept. 30, 2026. The DOL release is here: http://www.dol.gov/newsroom/releases/eta/eta20260930.
The listed awards in the Sept. 30 release are: Colorado Department of Labor and Employment, $6,740,000; Indiana Department of Workforce Development, $6,740,000; Montana Department of Labor and Industry, $4,837,533; Nebraska Department of Labor, $4,633,750; Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Commission, $6,740,517; Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry, $6,740,000; and Washington Employment Security Department, $6,740,000.
DOL’s current Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund page now lists Round 2 industries by state: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/eta/dislocated-workers/grants/industry-driven-skills.
For Indiana, the current page lists advanced manufacturing, IT with AI, building and construction with AI, and healthcare. For Montana, it lists advanced manufacturing and computing, including photonics and quantum, and construction trades.
For the other five Round 2 states, the current page lists: Colorado, advanced manufacturing, aerospace, AI infrastructure, IT, nuclear energy and domestic mineral production; Nebraska, advanced manufacturing, industrial IT, bioeconomy and biosciences, and domestic mineral production; Oregon, shipbuilding and marine trades, advanced manufacturing including semiconductors, aerospace and unmanned aircraft systems, IT, AI infrastructure and cybersecurity, and healthcare; Pennsylvania, shipbuilding and maritime supply chain; and Washington, shipbuilding and its supply chain, nuclear energy and fusion, AI and data center infrastructure, aerospace and space production, and advanced manufacturing.
What it means for the shop
For contractors in Indiana and Montana, the federal update is a more concrete lead than the initial award announcement: DOL now identifies construction-related sectors in those two states’ Round 2 awards.
That is still not the same as a confirmed open reimbursement program for every HVAC, plumbing or electrical employer. The supplied DOL pages do not name those trades specifically and do not provide state-level eligibility documents.
DOL describes the Training Fund as grants to State Workforce Agencies to form partnerships with eligible employers in key high-growth and emerging industry sectors. Participating employers can apply for outcomes-based partial reimbursement of actual training costs on a per-employee basis.
The state workforce agencies will matter most for shop owners. State-level documents will determine which employers can apply, which training counts, which workers qualify and how much of the cost can be reimbursed.
What remains unknown
The supplied DOL pages do not state that HVAC, plumbing or electrical contractors specifically qualify in any of the seven Round 2 states.
They also do not provide application opening dates, state application procedures, reimbursement percentages, caps, employer match requirements or worker eligibility rules.
The current DOL program page’s Round 2 table renders Indiana’s award amount as “$6,7400,000,” while the Sept. 30 DOL news release lists Indiana at $6,740,000. This update uses the news release figure for Indiana’s award amount.
Contractors in Colorado, Indiana, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania and Washington should watch the named state workforce agencies for state-specific grant documents before treating this as available training reimbursement money.
Sources
- Primary authority
dol.gov: US Department of Labor awards $43 million to 7 states to support skills training in shipbuilding, manufacturing, aerospace, other critical industries | U.S. Department of Labor - Primary authority
dol.gov: Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund Grant Program - Primary authority
dol.gov: Funding Opportunities - Primary authority
dol.gov: Skills Training Grants - Primary authority
dol.gov: Grants Awarded
Correction record
Previous: The published article said DOL had awarded $43 million in second-round grants to seven states but that the supplied DOL pages did not identify covered industries or occupations for those second-round states, leaving HVAC, plumbing and electrical contractor eligibility unclear.
Corrected: DOL’s current program page now lists Round 2 industries by state. Indiana includes building and construction with AI, and Montana includes construction trades. The federal pages still do not say that HVAC, plumbing or electrical employers specifically qualify, and they still do not provide state application dates, reimbursement rates, caps, match rules or worker eligibility requirements.
Reason: The current DOL program page concerns the same Industry-Driven Skills Training Fund second-round grants announced Sept. 30, 2026, not a different award or rolling-category item. The stored previousPage shows that the program page previously listed first-round state and industry information only; the current page now adds Round 2 state-by-industry information for the seven states. That does not prove the article was wrong when published, but it materially changes the practical takeaway because the source now identifies construction-related sectors for Indiana and Montana. The article’s headline, dek, key facts and body statements that second-round trade-contractor eligibility or covered industries were not identified are now stale and require updating. The supplied pages still do not establish that HVAC, plumbing or electrical contractors specifically qualify, nor do they provide state application rules.