Vermont is the birthplace of manufacturing in the United States and our highly-skilled labor pool is known for its strong work ethic and attention to craftsmanship. Today, we nurture that workforce with a variety of specialized training programs aimed at employers. Vermont is ranked among the top states in the nation for its education. In addition, with 40,000 students attending Vermont’s 25 highly-regarded colleges and universities, businesses have continual access to new young talent.
Preparing your workforce
Vermont has several different programs that can help train Vermont’s workforce for today’s competitive job market. The Vermont Training Program can offset a portion of the cost of customized training for employers hiring new employees as well as to upgrade the cost of training. The program’s goal is to prepare Vermonters for good paying jobs available from our many diversified employers and works in a variety of sectors.
The Vermont Manufacturing Extension Center (VMEC) has operated statewide as a not-for-profit center since 1995, collaborating with public and private partners in business, government, and education to bring world-class assistance and resources to Vermont manufacturers and other enterprises of all sizes, helping them overcome ever-changing challenges, become more competitive and grow their profitability. A valuable local resource and trusted advisor, VMEC has a successful track record of achieving measured results and quantified impact for its clients, with a high average Return on Investment (ROI) reported by clients as a direct result of VMEC assistance.
The Workforce Education and Training Fund can also provide assistance to employers and training providers to help train Vermont’s workforce for good jobs. Administered by the Vermont Department of Labor, the program can fund a variety of training opportunities.
Vermont’s Apprenticeship Program is an employer-sponsored training program that includes both supervised work experience and related instruction. There are nearly 700 active apprentices in Vermont in over 25 different occupations. Employers participate in Registered Apprenticeship by "sponsoring" individuals as apprentices. The employer sets a progressive wage scale, agrees to provide supervised OJT, and helps financially support the related instruction component of the program.
The Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility has a program to match employers and students for paid internships.
Northland Job Corps is a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps young people ages 16 to 24 improve the quality of their lives through career technical and academic training.
Finding your workforce
The Vermont Department of Labor (VDOL) can help you find employees at any one of 13 regional resource centers around the state. VDOL can list available jobs or provide services from recruitment to helping you screen and/or test initial applicants. Contact the Resource Center nearest you to discuss.
VDOL is also Vermont’s connection to federally funded workforce programs that help put Vermonters to work. This can include a Veterans' Tax Credit that can provide a $2,000 tax credit for hiring a recently separated veteran. In addition, the Workforce Opportunity Tax Credit provides an incentive to hire people in several targeted groups.