Indiana training grants
Does Indiana pay for employee training?
Yes. Indiana runs Power Up Indiana. There is no approved-provider list standing between you and the trainer you choose. You pick the trainer, pay the invoice, and claim the reimbursement.
Every figure below is read off Indiana Office of Commerce and Department of Workforce Development’s own materials and was last checked on September 22, 2026. Where a number is missing it is because the state publishes none.
Program
Power Up Indiana
Administered by
Indiana Office of Commerce and Department of Workforce Development
Reimburses
Effectively 100% to the cap, no match
Per employee
$5,000
Per company
$50,000 per year
Instructor rate
No cap on the instructor rate
Can you pick your trainer
Hire anyone
Does AI training qualify
Not addressed either way
Status today
Worth pursuing
The question that decides it
Can you use the trainer you want?
In most states the answer is yes, because federal regulation 20 CFR 680.530(a) exempts providers of incumbent worker training from the eligible training provider list. That list governs training for jobseekers. It does not govern training for the staff you already have. Where a state funds a program with its own money, it writes its own rules, and that is where the exceptions live.
Indiana: Hire anyone
Employer driven. Listed providers and registered apprenticeships are pre-approved, and anything else counts as specialized company training, which the local board reviews rather than rejects. Indiana also runs an older Employer Training Grant, but its specialized company training tier caps at $1,000 and it imposes a 40-hour minimum and a six-sector gate.
Does AI training qualify? Not addressed either way
Neither Indiana program names artificial intelligence. Power Up is open to any industry and any sector, and the older grant counts IT and business services among its eligible sectors.
What to watch
Open now on a rolling interest form. The real cost is the wage string: the employee must receive a 10% wage increase held for two consecutive quarters, ending above the regional median. Scope it as a promotion track, not a lunch and learn.
Verified at source on September 22, 2026. Program contact: kbrant@iedc.in.gov.
Official Indiana sourceThe thing that sinks applications
Training, not consulting.
Every one of these programs funds training. None of them fund someone building you a system. Several states say so outright, and the rejection usually arrives after the work rather than before it.
The reimbursable version of the work has defined instructional hours, more than one person in the room, W-2 employees rather than contractors, and something at the end that shows who completed it. The implementation work alongside it is a normal business expense. Better to know that before you apply than after.
Questions we get
Indiana, specifically.
- Does Indiana pay for training employees we already have?
- Yes. Indiana runs Power Up Indiana. There is no approved-provider list standing between you and the trainer you choose. You pick the trainer, pay the invoice, and claim the reimbursement. Reimburses Effectively 100% to the cap, no match. $5,000 per employee. $50,000 per year per company.
- Can we use our own training provider in Indiana?
- Hire anyone. Employer driven. Listed providers and registered apprenticeships are pre-approved, and anything else counts as specialized company training, which the local board reviews rather than rejects. Indiana also runs an older Employer Training Grant, but its specialized company training tier caps at $1,000 and it imposes a 40-hour minimum and a six-sector gate.
- Does AI training qualify in Indiana?
- Not addressed either way. Neither Indiana program names artificial intelligence. Power Up is open to any industry and any sector, and the older grant counts IT and business services among its eligible sectors.
- Is the Indiana program open right now?
- Worth pursuing. Open now on a rolling interest form. The real cost is the wage string: the employee must receive a 10% wage increase held for two consecutive quarters, ending above the regional median. Scope it as a promotion track, not a lunch and learn.
- Do these grants pay for consulting or implementation work?
- No. These are training programs. Several states explicitly exclude consulting, coaching and course development. If the work is building you a system it is not reimbursable; if it is instructor-led training for your W-2 staff with defined hours and a completion record, it generally is.
Nearby
The rest of the Midwest.
If you employ people in more than one state, these are the neighbors worth comparing against. The terms differ more than you would expect.
Iowa
Match required
State college delivers · Worth pursuing
Missouri
Effectively 100% to the cap
Hire anyone · Worth pursuing
Ohio
100% to the cap
Approved catalog · Worth pursuing
Wisconsin
Grant against actual cost, 50% cash or in-kind match
Hire anyone · Worth pursuing
Illinois
Varies by area
Hire anyone · Limited
Michigan
100% of eligible cost, no stated match
Hire anyone · Limited
Work out what your team qualifies for.
We will read Indiana’s rules with you and tell you what your team qualifies for, including when the answer is nothing. We deliver AI training across New England and are a registered provider under the Massachusetts program. Outside the region we will say plainly whether we are the right trainer for your state or whether you want someone local.