Indiana employers can receive up to $5,000 per trainee while apprentices attend tuition-free classroom instruction — all through the state's coordinated "Next Level Jobs" programs. For workforce professionals, training providers, and employers in Indiana's priority sectors, these programs offer a powerful combination of direct reimbursements and individual tuition assistance that significantly reduces apprenticeship costs.
Here's how each program works and how to leverage them together.
Employer Training Grant (ETG): What Employers Get
Indiana's Employer Training Grant is a flagship state program that directly reimburses employers for training new or incumbent workers in high-demand industries. Managed by the Indiana Department of Workforce Development (DWD), the ETG will reimburse employers up to $5,000 per trainee who is trained and retained for at least 6 months, with a cap of $50,000 per employer per year.
The reimbursement amount is tiered based on training type. Indiana pays the full $5,000 for high-value training like a college degree or industry certification, up to $3,000 for company-specific training without a portable certification, and $1,000 for high school students in work-based learning programs. Most Registered Apprenticeship related instruction qualifies for the top tier.
Training must align with Indiana's priority sectors: manufacturing, healthcare/life sciences, IT/business services, transportation/logistics, construction, or agriculture. The training must result in either a post-secondary credential, an industry certification, or improved job responsibilities. Since apprentices receive extensive training and typically earn a credential (journeyman's certificate or college certificate), apprenticeship programs inherently meet these criteria.
The ETG program has served thousands of trainees since 2017. In late 2023, Indiana refreshed funding (including federal recovery funds) and by mid-2024 opened a new application portal to streamline employer access.
Source: Craft Education Apprenticeship Funding Guide, Page 30
Workforce Ready Grant (WRG): Free Tuition for Apprentices
On the individual side, Indiana's Workforce Ready Grant provides free tuition for Indiana residents to attend high-demand training programs at Ivy Tech Community College, Vincennes University, and select other providers. Many programs are one-year certificates or shorter credentials.
Apprentices can use the WRG to cover the classroom instruction component of their apprenticeship when the program of study is on the approved high-demand list — including CNC machining, welding, IT support, and Industrial Maintenance certificates. This is effectively state-funded "last dollar" scholarship money: the state covers tuition, the employer covers wages, and the apprentice focuses on learning.
A key advantage: the WRG has no income requirement. It's open to any adult without a prior college degree, making it accessible to incumbent workers as well as new hires. By 2024, more than 30,000 individuals had used the Workforce Ready Grant for training.
Source: Craft Education Apprenticeship Funding Guide, Pages 30-31
SETS Fund: Reducing Classroom Instruction Costs
Indiana law directs penalties from the state Unemployment Insurance system into a Special Employment and Training Services (SETS) fund. A portion of this fund may be allocated to state educational institutions like Ivy Tech Community College to support apprenticeship training — particularly classroom instruction for union apprenticeship programs.
Ivy Tech partners with many union Joint Apprenticeship Training Committees (JATCs) to deliver related instruction, and through SETS funding, Ivy Tech can reimburse instructors teaching apprenticeship courses and even deliver "journeyworker upgrade" courses for program completers. In practical terms, some union apprenticeship programs may pay Ivy Tech a nominal $5-$10 per credit fee — far below normal tuition.
Training providers partnering with Ivy Tech or other state institutions should ask if SETS apprenticeship funds might cover some of their program's instructional costs.
Source: Craft Education Apprenticeship Funding Guide, Page 31
How to Braid These Programs Together
Indiana integrated these programs into an online portal at NextLevelJobs.org in 2025, making it easier to combine funding sources. An effective strategy uses WRG to cover classroom training costs, ETG to reimburse wage/OJT costs, and WIOA (if the apprentice qualifies) for supportive services or additional OJT funds.
For union apprenticeships, coordinate with Ivy Tech so apprentices are officially enrolled and courses credited, enabling Ivy Tech to draw down SETS funding to pay instructors. Federal grants through Apprenticeship Building America can add another layer — funding program management staff or curriculum development while state funds cover direct training costs.
The key is coordination: work with DWD for ETG/WRG, Ivy Tech for instructional support, and the local Workforce One-Stop for WIOA. Keep communication open so each funder knows who is covering what.
Source: Craft Education Apprenticeship Funding Guide, Page 32
Managing Multi-Source Funding Documentation
Braiding multiple funding streams creates documentation complexity. Each funding source — ETG retention requirements, WRG enrollment verification, WIOA eligibility — requires specific tracking and reporting. Organizations managing Indiana apprenticeships need centralized systems to track OJT hours, RTI completion, and compliance records across all funding requirements.
Craft Education offers a free apprenticeship data management platform that helps programs maintain audit-ready records and generate the compliance reports each funding source requires. For a complete breakdown of Indiana funding alongside federal programs like WIOA and Pell Grants, download the full Definitive Guide to Apprenticeship Funding.
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