WYOMING — A division of the University of Wyoming (UW) has received a $2.5 million grant that will help put rural Wyoming students and workers onto career paths for outdoor recreation, tourism and hospitality.
UW’s Jay Kemmerer Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality (WORTH) Institute received the grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education. According to an announcement by UW, the money will be used to launch the Wyoming Rural Pathways Initiative (WRPI), a four-year project planned to run through September 2030.
“Outdoor recreation, tourism and hospitality are how visitors experience Wyoming, and the sector employs thousands of our neighbors,” Director of the WORTH Institute and WRPI project Dan McCoy said in a UW article. “This grant lets us build pathways so rural students can grow into the managers and leaders of these industries and retain them in Wyoming.”
The aim of WRPI is to build a statewide network that educates and moves students into careers and internships in related fields. The outdoor recreation, tourism and hospitality industry is the state’s largest private-sector employer, which generates $5 billion in annual visitor spending and supports over 33,000 jobs. UW said that rural residents often lack local and affordable routes into skilled and management positions.
Career and technical education (CTE) models from Jackson Hole High School (JHHS) and Cody High School will be replicated in four rural Wyoming schools, offering dual-enrollment credit. JHHS currently instructs a three-course outdoor leadership CTE series for students.
WRPI plans to serve 2,000 participants through enrollment in postsecondary certifications and employer-paid internships and apprenticeships. The initiative will work with the Wyoming Department of Education to identify credentials that are recognized across the outdoor recreation industry. The project will also bring aboard lodging, guiding and dude-ranching operators across the state.
Along with the Wyoming Office of Tourism, Xanterra Travel Collection in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton Lodge Co. in Grand Teton National Park will assist with placements for work-based learning and apprenticeships.
“Every year, we need to recruit skilled and committed people who understand our region,” Xanterra General Manager Mike Keller told UW. “I’m excited this program will allow us to grow and develop talent from inside Wyoming that will benefit our guests, our employees and our parks.”
