Gov. Little: Idaho needs skilled workers
The Idaho Launch program is designed to level the playing field, he says at event
BOISE — Idaho Gov. Brad Little is arguing that the state should balance its investments in traditional higher education with more investment in career and technical education — that’s where his program Idaho Launch comes in.
Little spoke Wednesday morning at The Intersection, an event held by BoiseDev to “look at how key pieces of Idaho’s economy fit together,” according to the event website.
Little took questions from moderator Margaret Carmel about the relationship between education policy and workforce development — both of which have been top priorities under Little’s administration.
“If you’re a doctor, a lawyer, accountant, animal scientist, the state paid for part of your education, but in today’s new career technical areas, we (have) a little bit here, a little bit there,” Little said. “But Launch is our effort to basically level the playing field.”
The Idaho Launch program, which was started during the pandemic and made permanent this year, makes grants worth up to $8,000 available to graduating high school seniors in Idaho to pursue “in-demand careers,” which have been identified by the Idaho Workforce Development Council. The list includes jobs such as carpenter, home health care aid, heavy truck and tractor-trailer truck driver, registered nurse, and electrician.
“We’re going to make this available for what we believe is critical for a thriving economy in this day,” Little said.
Little said he’s hoping that in this first round of grant distribution, nearly everyone who signs up for the grants will be accepted into the program. He said the state is expecting about 10,000 students to apply this year; applications become available on Oct. 3 at nextsteps.idaho.gov.
When it comes to educating Idaho students and preparing them for the workforce, Little also spoke about efforts to expand broadband access to rural areas of the state.
The Legislature this year approved $124 million in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds for broadband infrastructure. Little also highlighted the importance of community college satellite campuses for rural education.
Although the state has record-low unemployment, Idaho’s economy needs a more highly skilled workforce, Little said. He said technology is replacing workers in a number of industries, which is why he wants to see the rate by which students go on to job training or education after high school go up significantly.
“Those jobs are disappearing every day,” Little said. “Look at agriculture, look at food processing. Look at the timber industry — one guy in the woods today does what 12 used to do only 25 years ago, that’s just one example.”
Idaho’s go-on rate for fall 2022 was 42%, Idaho Education News reported. Little said he wants that rate to climb to around 60%.
Little’s goal of wanting young people to live and work in Idaho doesn’t mean he wants to prevent them from ever leaving. In fact, the governor said there’s a lot to be gained from young Idahoans venturing out of state to learn new skills and gain new experiences they wouldn’t have had access to.
He just wants them to be drawn back to the Gem State eventually.
“We just have to have that incredible bait of a good quality of life and good schools for them to come back,” Little said.
Guido covers Idaho politics for the Lewiston Tribune, Moscow-Pullman Daily News and Idaho Press of Nampa. She may be contacted at lguido@idahopress.com and can be found on Twitter @EyeOnBoiseGuido.
