West Virginia Governor's Guaranteed Work Force Program
West Virginia Division of Economic Development (WVDED)
Up to $2,000 per trainee
Up to $2,000/trainee, WV workforce training
West Virginia's Governor's Guaranteed Work Force Program reimburses up to $2,000 per trainee for customized employee training for new or expanding businesses in West Virginia. It covers the entire workforce — new hires, retraining, and skills upgrades across all organizational levels. Over $54 million has been awarded historically with nearly 200,000 employees trained. Reimbursement is based on wages, facility location, employee count, and training scope.
- Funding type
- Grant
- Level
- State
- Amount
- Up to $2,000 per trainee. Total award determined by average starting wages, facility location, number of employees, and number being trained. A manufacturer training 50 workers could receive up to $100,000.
- Realistic amount
- Small to mid-size manufacturers and service firms with 20–100 trainees typically receive $30,000–$150,000 in training re…
- Deadline
- Rolling — contact WVDED to begin the process
- Status
- active
- States
- WV
- Payment model
- reimbursement
Who qualifies
- Current West Virginia employer or business planning to relocate to West Virginia
- Must be expanding or upgrading workforce capacity (new hires, retraining for new processes, or skills upgrades)
- Must be in compliance with West Virginia Department of Tax and Revenue, Unemployment Compensation, and Worker's Compensation requirements
- Training must support business growth or adaptation to new processes/technology — not routine HR activities
Hard requirements
- Location restriction: West Virginia
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Equipment operation training
- Information technology skills training
- Management and leadership development
- Quality control and safety training
- Technical and engineering skills training
- Train-the-trainer programs
- Internal training programs with documented costs
Ineligible expenses
- Routine HR activities (onboarding paperwork, benefits enrollment)
- Training unrelated to business growth or process changes
- Training for employees of businesses not in WV compliance status
How to apply
-
1
Contact WVDED to initiate
Call the West Virginia Division of Economic Development at +1-304-558-2234 or use the online contact form at westvirginia.gov. Describe your planned workforce training project — number of employees, training type, timeline, and business growth context.
~2 hrs
-
2
Project assessment and award determination
WVDED evaluates training scope, average wages, facility location, and employee count to determine the funding level. Award amount is customized per project.
~4 hrs
-
3
Execute training and document costs
Complete the approved training program. Maintain detailed records of training costs, trainee names, hours trained, and training providers. Training must be completed as approved.
~10 hrs
-
4
Submit documentation and receive reimbursement
Submit training completion documentation and cost records to WVDED. Upon verification, reimbursement of up to $2,000 per trainee is issued.
~5 hrs
WVDED is highly relationship-driven — calling rather than emailing gets faster responses. Businesses that frame their request as 'creating X new jobs in WV' receive priority consideration over pure incumbent-worker retraining projects.
Deadline & timing
No set application windows. Businesses contact WVDED at +1-304-558-2234 to begin. Applications are reviewed throughout the year.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.