CFDA#
None
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Funder Type
State Government
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IT Classification
B - Readily funds technology as part of an award
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Authority
Kentucky Cabinet for Economic Development
Summary
The Bluegrass State Skills Corporation (BSSC) was established in 1984 by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky to stimulate economic development through customized business and industry-specific skills training programs. The BSSC works with qualified companies and Kentucky's educational institutions to establish programs of skills upgrade and occupational upgrade training.
- Skills upgrade training – employee training sponsored by a qualified company that is designed to provide the employee with new skills necessary to enhance productivity, improve performance, or retain employment, including but not limited to technical and interpersonal skills, and training that is designed to enhance computer skills, communication skills, problem solving, reading, writing, or math skills of employees who are unable to function effectively on the job due to deficiencies in these areas, are unable to advance on the job, or who risk displacement because their skill deficiencies inhibit their training potential for new technology
- Occupational upgrade training – employee training sponsored by a qualified company that is designed to qualify the employee for a promotional opportunity with the qualified company
The purpose of the BSSC is to improve and promote employment opportunities of the citizens of the Commonwealth by helping fund programs of skills training and education. Applications for training incentives must be submitted and approved by the BSSC board prior to commencement of training activities.
History of Funding
The Bluegrass State Skills Corporation's 2019 annual report is available here: https://ced.ky.gov/kyedc/pdfs/Annual_Reports/2019_BSSC_Annual_Report.pdf?26
Additional Information
"Qualified company" does not include companies where the primary activity to be conducted within the Commonwealth is forestry, fishing, mining, coal or mineral processing, the provision of utilities, construction, wholesale trade, retail trade, real estate, rental and leasing, accommodation and food services, or public administration services. Any firm, company, consultant, or institution whose primary business is to provide training or training consultation for a fee is not eligible for BSSC incentives.
A qualified company or member of a consortium that has been found (adjudicated) to commit a willful Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) violation within three previous years is not eligible to apply for BSSC incentives. If a company is approved for funding and is then found (adjudicated) to have committed a willful OSHA violation during the life of a BSSC grant or tax credit, no remaining funds will be paid to the company from the date the willful violation is made known to the BSSC.
A qualified company shall not be entitled to receive investment credits or grants if the company requires that the employee (i.e. trainee) reimburse the employer or otherwise pay for any costs or expenses incurred in connection with occupational or skills upgrade training activities.
Eligibility Details
Qualified companies must be registered and in good standing with the Secretary of State's Office. A qualified company is any person, corporation, limited liability company, partnership, limited partnership, sole proprietorship, firm, enterprise, franchise, association, organization, holding company, joint stock company, professional services corporation, or any other legal entity through which business is conducted that has been or is planning to be actively engaged in one (1) or more of the following activities within the Commonwealth:
- Manufacturing
- Agribusiness
- Nonretail service or technology (company provides a service to or uses technology for customer or affiliate entities predominantly outside the Commonwealth and is designed to serve a multistate, national or international market)
- National or regional headquarters operations, regardless of the underlying business activity of the company
- Healthcare
Deadline Details
Applications are to be submitted by December 15, 2023, and March 15, 2024. Please see application submission and board meeting schedule from the Application Guidance page.
Award Details
The Grant-in-Aid program provides reimbursement dollars to companies/consortia for company specific training activities. The maximum funding amount for applicants during a BSSC fiscal year (July 1 – June 30) is the LESSER of the following:
- 50% of approved costs/eligible training costs
- $75,000
- $2,000 per unduplicated eligible trainee
Qualified companies may receive one approved GIA per fiscal year, for one federal employer identification number per county, subject to the availability of funds and the company's application score. Approved companies shall notify the BSSC if they find they are unable to use all or a portion of the funds that have been set aside for them. These unused funds will then be reallocated. Companies that act responsibly in this manner are in no way penalized when applying for future BSSC incentives.
The Skills Training Investment Credit Act provides a credit against Kentucky income tax imposed by
KRS 141.020 or 141.040 and the limited liability entity tax imposed by 141.0401 to companies for
company specific training activities. The maximum tax credit amount for qualified companies during
each two-year biennium (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2022) is the LESSER of:
- 50% of approved costs/eligible training costs
- $75,000
- $500 per full-time, Kentucky resident employee paid a total hourly compensation of at least $12.51, including benefits, as of the application submission
Qualified companies may receive one approved application per biennium (July 1, 2020 – June 30, 2022). The BSSC has a maximum of $2.5 million in tax credits to award to eligible companies in each state fiscal year. Investment credits that are not approved by the BSSC by the end of the fiscal year (June 30) shall lapse and not be carried forward to a new fiscal year. A project may not be eligible if it is located in a tax increment financing district that has already pledged the corporate income tax credits to the tax increment financing project.
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