Ready, set, work!
Kentucky scholarship program makes career training accessible
AFTER GRADUATING FROM DAVIESS COUNTY High School in 2023, Elijah Moore initially explored multiple career options, including several pathways in the construction industry. But when he enrolled in a welding technology program at Owensboro Community & Technical College in the fall of 2025, he knew he’d found his fit. Even better: With a Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship in hand, he was able to train for a high-demand career with no out-of-pocket tuition costs.
Having completed two semesters of college training, Moore is now working in a paid position with Owensboro-based Accurity Industrial Contractors, LLC, while he continues classwork toward his welding associate degree.
“When I started, I didn’t know much about welding, to be honest,” says Moore, a Kenergy consumer-member from Philpot. “I’m very thankful for the classes, because they’ve introduced me to heavy equipment and other forms of welding.”
How it works
The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship covers up to the full cost of 60 credit hours of tuition and fees for Kentucky residents pursuing an associate degree or industry-recognized certification in five high-demand career fields (see sidebar for approved areas of study). It’s administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority and funded by Kentucky Lottery proceeds.
The program covers hundreds of course options and includes associate degree tracks that require about four semesters of study as well as certificate or diploma programs that can be completed in as little as four months.
To be eligible, applicants must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment in an approved program at a participating college, university or training center. The application window for the scholarship opens each year on May 1 and remains open until that year’s funds are fully distributed. To apply, students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, and the Work Ready Scholarship application, which is accessed through the student’s online KHEAA account portal, or by setting up an online account with KHEAA at KHEAA.com if the student doesn’t have one already.
A student uses a robot under the guidance of an advanced manufacturing instructor at Hopkinsville Community and Technical College. Photo: KCTCS
The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship has no GPA or need-based income criteria, but to qualify, applicants must have already earned their high school diploma or GED or be currently enrolled in a program to earn their GED. Also, they cannot have previously completed an associate or higher degree. A separate program, the Work Ready Dual Credit Scholarship, also administered by KHEAA, allows current high school students to enroll in dual-credit career and technical education programs in approved career pathways before they graduate.
The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship “eliminates financial barriers for Kentuckians who are seeking to upskill their current credentials to be more competitive in the workforce,” says Jo Carole Ellis, KHEAA executive director and CEO. “At the same time, it’s helping address high-demand workforce needs to help fuel Kentucky’s economy. So, it’s a win-win for students and for Kentucky’s businesses and industries that need high-skilled workers.”
Opening new career opportunities
The Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship was launched in the 2017-2018 academic year through a gubernatorial executive order before being enacted into law by the Kentucky legislature in 2019. From its launch through June 2025, the scholarship program had awarded $74.8 million in support to 26,860 Kentuckians—$12.8 million to 4,650 recipients in the 2024–25 school year alone, according to Becky Gilpatrick, KHEAA’s director of student aid.
The Kentucky Workforce Innovation Board is tasked with evaluating wage and employment data to determine Kentucky’s top five in-demand workforce sectors—and their findings help ensure the scholarship trains students in designated sectors with the highest expected statewide job growth.
HVAC programs fall under the qualifying area of construction for Work Ready Kentucky Scholarships. Photo: KCTCS
“By focusing the scholarships on our high-demand, high-wage industry sectors, it really helps students think about how their time as students will For Pennyrile Electric consumer-member Nazly Nava Gazca of Oak Grove, the scholarship opened the doors to her dream of studying nursing, a sector with perennially strong career potential.
After moving to Kentucky from New York to support her husband’s Army career at Fort Campbell, Nava Gazca was thrilled to discover the availability of the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship to support her own career ambitions. She is now a nursing student at Hopkinsville Community & Technical College.
Receiving the scholarship “gave me peace of mind and reassurance knowing I had support behind me,” Nava Gazca says. “It jump-started everything for us. It allowed me to focus on my studies, clinicals and success in the program instead of constantly worrying about financial stress. It made me feel like I could finally do this.”
Breaking down financial barriers
Students can view a Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship award estimator on the KHEAA website to better understand what their likely award might be, after accounting for Kentucky Educational Excellence Scholarship (KEES) money and other state and federal financial aid.
“Anyone in one of these eligible programs at one of the participating schools should go ahead and complete their Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship application as soon as they can,” Gilpatrick says. “We anticipate running out of funds before the end of the calendar year. But the exact date varies from year to year, depending on the number of applicants we receive.”
While the scholarship can cover up to full tuition for eligible programs at Kentucky Community & Technical College System campuses, it does not guarantee full tuition coverage at other participating schools where tuition costs may be greater. Students enrolled at other institutions could receive a scholarship amount equivalent to the KCTCS tuition rate, which can help reduce their overall, out-of-pocket tuition and fees.
Students get hands-on experience at Maysville Community & Technical College.
“The majority of the students who are in the [Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship] program come from middle-income families whose finances make them ineligible to qualify for Pell Grants and other forms of low income-based financial aid assistance,” Gilpatrick says. “It’s about helping provide access and opportunity so students can come in, get their education and get back out to in-demand careers.”
“Work Ready is a godsend,” agrees Robyn Sollberger, director for financial aid at Campbellsville University. “It opens the door to degree paths and lets students—who may have been working for years in areas without lots of room for advancement—shift gears to pursue training in a field they really want to be in.”
With support from Work Ready, Robert Fallis of Campbellsville was able to complete his Emergency Medical Technician training at Campbellsville University this past spring, following roughly six months of coursework. He’s now employed as an EMT with Campbellsville-Taylor County EMS.
For the 30-year-old Taylor County RECC consumer-member, landing a job in health care feels like the fulfillment of a decade-long goal.
“Ever since getting out of high school, I always had an interest in joining the health care field,” Fallis says. “The opportunity to get the Work Ready Scholarship and train at Campbellsville made it all so seamless, and I was able to get hired right away.”
All you need to know about Work Ready Scholarships
View the complete listing of approved programs of study.
Or, explore available pathways by location here.
For full scholarship details, including eligibility and application criteria, review the Work Ready Kentucky Scholarship tab.
If you have additional questions about the program, reach out to the financial aid office at your intended college or trade school as a first step.
