Operation Intern
Supports employers in North Dakota by reimbursing internship and apprenticeship costs in priority industries.
Operation Intern is a North Dakota Department of Commerce workforce program that helps employers pay for interns and apprentices in priority industries. The program is built for energy, advanced manufacturing, value-added agriculture, tourism, technology-based businesses, and autonomous systems, tying public support directly to sectors the state wants to strengthen. Employers can receive up to $5,000 per intern or apprentice, capped at $25,000 in a funding round and $50,000 across a biennium. Each round covers up to five interns, and applications are reviewed in the order they arrive until the allocated money is gone. The current biennium funds are exhausted and the program is operating a waitlist, with a new round expected in the next biennium cycle. That makes the program best suited to employers that can move early, document a qualified internship or apprenticeship, and use the subsidy to build a pipeline of early-career talent in a targeted industry. Fast movers have the clearest advantage because review continues until the money is committed.
No upcoming rounds verified. Cadence: Biennial.