Over four years, WRPI aims to:
Serve Rural Participants
Enroll students in existing or new credentials
Complete credentials and or transfer to UW
Provide new internships and apprenticeships
How it works
WRPI has five connected parts, each built with a Wyoming partner.
Stackable credential pathways. With Northwest College and Sheridan College, WRPI will co-develop five short-term, Workforce Pell–aligned credential pathways in outdoor recreation, tourism and hospitality. Credits stack toward higher credentials and transfer to the University of Wyoming, so a student can start in one place and keep going without starting over.
Paid work-based learning. WRPI will build a statewide network of employer-paid internships and register Wyoming’s first apprenticeships in outdoor recreation, tourism and hospitality, anchored by Xanterra Travel Collection in Yellowstone National Park and Grand Teton Lodge Company in Grand Teton National Park, along with lodging, guiding and dude-ranch operators across the state.
High school on-ramps. Jackson Hole High School’s three-course outdoor leadership sequence and Cody High School’s integrated learning pod are proven models. WRPI will bring them to four more rural Wyoming high schools, with dual-enrollment credit that counts toward college.
Industry-recognized credentials. Working with the Wyoming Department of Education, WRPI will identify and seek approval for industry-recognized credentials in outdoor recreation so students can leave high school with portable, employer-recognized certifications.
Career navigation and AI literacy. Faculty in the UW School of Computing will lead the launch of a career-navigation platform and a set of AI-literacy micro-credentials, giving students tools to explore careers, compare programs and costs, and build skills employers increasingly expect.
Who we are working with
WRPI is a statewide collaboration. The WORTH Institute leads the project and serves as fiscal agent; our partners bring the classrooms, credentials and jobs.
- Northwest College (Powell): outdoor education and aerial adventure operations credentials.
- Sheridan College: culinary, hospitality and event planning credentials.
- Jackson Hole High School (Teton County School District 1) and Cody High School (Park County School District 6): model CTE programs to be replicated statewide.
- Wyoming Department of Education: credential development and CTE articulation.
- Wyoming Department of Workforce Services: apprenticeship development.
- Wyoming Office of Tourism: industry coordination.
- Xanterra Travel Collection and Grand Teton Lodge Company: anchor employers for paid internships and apprenticeships.
- UW School of Computing: career-navigation platform and AI-literacy micro-credentials.
WRPI is endorsed by Gov. Mark Gordon and State Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder and builds on the tourism and hospitality pillar of the Governor’s Wyoming Innovation Partnership.
Get involved
WRPI works because Wyoming schools, colleges and businesses are at the table. We are looking for:
- Rural high schools interested in adding an outdoor recreation, tourism or hospitality CTE pathway with dual-enrollment credit.
- Employers who want to host paid interns or sponsor a registered apprenticeship, from national park concessioners to guide services, lodges, dude ranches and restaurants.
- Students and families who want to learn more about credential options, internships and careers in Wyoming’s outdoor and tourism economy.
- Community college and university faculty interested in articulation, stackable credentials or the AI-literacy micro-credentials.
Fill out the form below or contact the WORTH Institute at worth@uwyo.edu to start the conversation.
Project leadership
Dr. Dan McCoy, Project Director. Director, Jay Kemmerer WORTH Institute, University of Wyoming. dmccoy@uwyo.edu · 307-766-5009
A statewide WRPI Advisory Council made up of education, agency and industry partners meets quarterly to guide the project.
News and updates
UW’s WORTH Institute wins $2.5M federal grant to build rural career pathways in outdoor recreation, tourism and hospitality (October 2026). https://www.uwyo.edu/news/2026/10/uws-worth-institute-wins-2-5m-federal-grant-to-build-rural-career-pathways-in-outdoor-recreation-tourism-hospitality.html
Funding acknowledgment
The contents of this web page were developed under a grant from the U.S. Department of Education (Department). The Department does not mandate or prescribe practices, models, or other activities described or discussed in this document. The contents of this web page may contain examples of, adaptations of, and links to resources created and maintained by another public or private organization. The Department does not control or guarantee the accuracy, relevance, timeliness, or completeness of this outside information. The content of this web page does not necessarily represent the policy of the Department. This publication is not intended to represent the views or policy of, or be an endorsement of any views expressed or materials provided by, any Federal agency.
