The University of Wyoming announced on October 6, 2026 that its Jay Kemmerer Wyoming Outdoor Recreation, Tourism and Hospitality Institute received a $2.5 million federal grant to launch the Wyoming Rural Pathways Initiative. The university says the four-year project runs through September 2030. The initiative aims to serve 2,000 participants over four years through postsecondary credentials, transfers and employer-paid internships and apprenticeships. That figure is a program target, not a count of vacancies already open or people already placed. Northwest College will offer outdoor education and aerial adventure operations credentials, while Sheridan College will offer culinary, hospitality and event-planning credentials, according to the release. The project also plans to extend career and technical education models from Jackson and Cody to four rural schools. Other planned work includes an internship network, new registered apprenticeships, career navigation and AI-literacy micro-credentials. Workforce Pell-aligned credential development is a plan; the announcement is not an individual Pell eligibility determination. The university names Xanterra Travel Collection and Grand Teton Lodge Co. as anchor employers for paid work-based learning. It says work begins this month with a project coordinator and advisory council. Interested students, schools and employers can contact the WORTH Institute at worth@uwyo.edu. The release does not give a general application deadline, a tuition price or a guaranteed wage for each participant.