Message from Governor Brad Little on the success of Idaho LAUNCH

 Dear friends,
 
We can all remember being a high school senior ready to move on from childhood into the freedom of adulthood. It is a milestone that comes with much excitement but also apprehension about the future. We are fortunate our state and our country offer so many different paths for our young people to choose as they enter an independent stage of life.
 
Here in Idaho, we are making the transition into rewarding, productive careers even smoother with Idaho LAUNCH. Our innovative new workforce training program is connecting students with careers and helping employers like you fill in-demand jobs that create prosperity and strengthen our economy.
 
There is no doubt Idaho LAUNCH has been tremendously successful.
 
Here’s a snapshot of how LAUNCH moved the needle in just one year:
 

• Community college enrollment increased by a staggering 18%
• Overall student enrollment in postsecondary programs increased by 11%
• A whopping 15% increase in economically disadvantaged students going on
• A 5.6% increase in Idaho resident students at our institutions, showing we are focusing on IDAHO students
• An outstanding 19% increase in students with a 2.7% GPA or less going on. These are students who may have never considered pursuing a rewarding, in-demand profession.

 
That last statistic really hits home for me. We have so many bright young Idahoans who offer much promise for our state but who simply don’t perform as well in traditional academics, resulting in lower GPAs. These students have as much to offer as a 4.0 student. Idaho LAUNCH is motivating those students to go on to training programs for jobs our business community desperately needs.
 
I can say with confidence that Idaho LAUNCH is changing lives. Together, we are ensuring Idaho kids STAY in Idaho. We have you, our business community, to thank in part for that.

​I appreciate the strong support we’ve received from Idaho employers on Idaho LAUNCH. With your help, we have been able to pioneer new workforce training strategies that are clearly WORKING!

Brad Little
Governor of Idaho