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Learn & Earn

Elevate Your Business with Shared-Cost Internships through Learn & Earn!

What is Learn & Earn?

Learn & Earn is a state-funded grant program designed to support paid internship opportunities for students attending a West Virginia Community and Technical College.  The program provides funding to pay half a student intern’s wages while they are in school.  Contact your local CTC’s workforce team to learn more about how you can become a Learn and Earn partner!

Benefits to Employers
Why Companies Love Learn & Earn

  • Students Work for You While Training & We Split their Pay 50/50 – the student pay is shared 50/50 by the company and the CTC, with students earning at least $15/hour to work in the field they’re studying.
  • Connects Employers to a Student Pipeline – allowing them to take courses and train while gaining paid work experience with your company.
  • Empowers Companies – to meet immediate needs while building a skilled workforce for the future.
  • Supports a Wide Range of Comprehensive, Affordable Training Opportunities – including skill enhancement, certificate and degree programs, and customized training and professional development.

Learn & Earn Connections Allow Companies to:

  • Tap into a Trusted Local Talent Pool
  • Reduce the Cost of Onboarding
  • Cultivate Dedicated Employees
  • Address Current and Projected Skills Gaps

When I heard 50/50 pay match, it sounded too good to be true. But it was 100% true. Everything the program promised, it delivered. It’s one of the best business decisions I ever made.”

Learn & Earn
is a WIN

Learn & Earn is a huge win for WV businesses. In fact, more than 90 percent of program participants are hired by the companies that train them. That’s ‘hire’ education!

Award Amounts and Deadlines:

  • Awards are typically capped at $220,000 per fiscal year.  There is no minimum award.
  • Applications are accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year until funding is exhausted.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Applications must be submitted by eligible public colleges: any of West Virginia’s 9 public community and technical colleges or Potomac State College of WVU.
  • Individuals may not apply directly.
  • Applications must be submitted by authorized submitters using the Council’s FastTrack grant management system.
  • Learn and Earn grants must be completed within a 12 month period.
  • Approved grants fund wages for students enrolled in paid internships with business and industry partners.
  • Students must be enrolled in a certificate of associate degree program.
  • The internship work must align with the student’s program of study and constitute meaningful, career-relevant experience.
  • Students must earn a minimum of $15 per hour.
  • The grant reimburses employers for 50% of the student’s base wages.
  • Grant funding may not be used for employment taxes or fringe benefits. All employment taxes and fringe benefits are the responsibility of the employer.
  • Applications must include:
    • a clear description of program goals and purpose, including what the program will accomplish, the industries or sectors it supports, and the workforce demand it addresses.
    • participant information: the number of students or trainees expected to participate, along with anticipated job placement rates and wage outcomes after completion.
    • information on both public and private partners involved in the project, including any collaboration with local schools or career and technical education programs.
    • implementation details: a detailed work plan, project budget, and plan for evaluating program progress and outcomes.
    • letters of commitment from partners confirming the amount of any matching funds they will provide, if applicable.
    • a written agreement between the college and the participating employer that outlines the formal work plan for the student’s on-the-job experience.

Reporting Requirements:

  • All recipients are required to submit a closeout report at the end of the project’s obligation period.  Each report will include information on actual expenditures and progress toward meeting performance outcomes defined in the grant application.

Find Out More & Get Started with Learn & Earn – it’s easy!

Contact Tiffany Ellis-Williams, Director of Workforce & Economic Development, at williams@wvctcs.edu or (681) 313-2265 – OR – Contact your local CTC’s Workforce Development Team (see list).