Indiana’s Power Up Training Grants Help Underground Utility Workers Earn CDLs and Raise Wages 25 Percent
Indiana Governor Mike Braun and the Indiana Economic Development Corporation (IEDC) reported new results on November 13, 2026, from the Power Up Employer Training Grant: underground utility companies used the grants to put workers through commercial driver's license training, and wages rose sharply.
Launched by Braun last year, Power Up reimburses employers $5,000 per employee, up to $50,000 per year, when workers hit wage-growth benchmarks after training. The design ties public training dollars directly to raises for employees.
At Gehring Underground in Columbus, Bartholomew County, more than twenty employees earned Class A commercial driver's licenses through the program, with average wages up 25 percent; the company is preparing another training round. At US Hydrovac in Indianapolis, eight employees earned CDLs, hourly pay rose by an average of $10, and every trainee stayed with the company.
Braun said Power Up is built so training and pay raises move together: employers invest, workers gain portable skills and higher wages, and the state keeps a stronger skilled workforce. Commerce Secretary Chuck Goodrich and Department of Workforce Development Commissioner Kate Shelby also praised the results.
The IEDC said Power Up is open to employers across Indiana industries. Underground utilities are among the first sectors to show results, and the state will continue publishing participation and wage data.
Source: Indiana Economic Development Corporation
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图片来源：Wikimedia Commons「Indiana State Capitol Market St.jpg」（Daniel Schwen 摄，CC BY-SA 4.0），图中为印第安纳州议会大厦，位于 Indianapolis Image: Wikimedia Commons "Indiana State Capitol Market St.jpg" (by Daniel Schwen, CC BY-SA 4.0), showing the Indiana Statehouse in Indianapolis
