CLAY CITY, Ky. — Powell Valley Millwork, in Clay City, Kentucky, is one of 104 Kentucky manufacturing companies who received funding from the state to train new workers.

The company, an FDMC 300-ranked company, listed as #204, received enough funding to train 219 workers. Powell Valley Millwork is a domestic supplier of Poplar and Radiata that specializes in creating the highest quality wood products. With two manufacturing sites located just east of Lexington, Kentucky, Powell Valley Millwork employs more than 200 workers and operate in 320,000 square feet of manufacturing and warehouse space.

In all, 8,775 Kentuckians will receive skills training through funding by the Bluegrass State Skills Corp. (BSSC), which oversees programs attached to the Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development that help private-sector businesses establish industry-specific training initiatives.

In fiscal year 2024, the BSSC board of directors approved roughly $19 million in funds and credits for 104 Kentucky facilities to train 42,600-plus workers, the most since 2016.

“We have a hard-working and world-class workforce here in the commonwealth, and we are ensuring Kentucky develops and maintains this important asset for generations to come,” said Governor Andy Beshear. “To support our thriving economy, it’s crucial that we connect Kentucky workers with skills training opportunities. Equipping our workforce with the tools they need to thrive is a huge part of our mission to build a better Kentucky, and we’re making great progress thanks to programs like BSSC.”

“We have a hard-working and world-class workforce here in the commonwealth, and we are ensuring Kentucky develops and maintains this important asset for generations to come,” said Gov. Beshear. “To support our thriving economy, it’s crucial that we connect Kentucky workers with skills training opportunities. Equipping our workforce with the tools they need to thrive is a huge part of our mission to build a better Kentucky, and we’re making great progress thanks to programs like BSSC.”

This month’s approvals included workforce training support for over 2,667 employees at the Training Consortium of South Central Kentucky in Bowling Green and an additional 2,007 trainees at Metalsa Structural Products in Elizabethtown. Other approvals include 1,440 trainees for Logan Aluminum in Russellville; 675 trainees at Summit Polymers in Mt. Sterling; 517 workers at Bluegrass Training Consortium in Georgetown; 502 trainees at Faurecia Automotive Seating in Simpsonville; 356 workers at Kentucky Alliance Training Consortium in Georgetown; 105 workers at Florida Tile in Lexington; 60 trainees at Nationwide Uniform Corp. in Hodgenville; 50 workers at Bodycote Surface Technology in Hebron; 40 trainees at WPT Corp., dba WPT Nonwovens, in Beaver Dam; 38 workers at State Industries in Florence; 30 trainees at Progress Rail Services Corp. in Corbin; 28 workers at Comefri USA in Hopkinsville; 25 trainees at Prudent Holdings USA in Lexington and 16 workers at Benda-Lutz in Independence.

Building on that momentum, the BSSC board approved more than $1.7 million in training funds and credits for over 4,000 trainees across 26 Kentucky facilities during the first of four fiscal year 2025 meetings on Aug. 7.

Beshear previously announced over $10 million for 115 applicants throughout the state to train nearly 35,000 workers for fiscal year 2023. The state also provided over $8.4 million in funds and credits during fiscal year 2022. Those funds assisted with workforce training for more than 35,400 Kentucky employees.

Employers across the state benefit from BSSC’s Grant-in-Aid (GIA) and Skills Training Investment Credit (STIC) programs. GIA provides cash reimbursements for occupational and skills upgrade training at Kentucky businesses, while STIC offers state income tax credits for companies to offset the costs for approved training programs. Applications for both programs are accepted and considered for approval by the Bluegrass State Skills Corporation Board of Directors.