Minnesota Subsidizing Newspaper Internet Presence

From the AP

Two Minnesota newspapers will receive a share of state grants normally given to retrain workers in manufacturing and other industries in transition.

The Duluth News Tribune and the St. Paul Pioneer Press will work with the University of Minnesota's School of Journalism and Mass Communication to help staff adapt to an increasingly Internet-based industry.

Minnesota Job Skills Partnership is awarding $238,000 in state funds, while the newspapers and the university will contribute about $469,000 combined, mostly by devoting staff time to training.

You can argue that these skills are general skills and it wouldn't pay any private company to pay for the education necessary to get these skills.  But if so, why are the papers spending almost $470,000 to give their own staff skills that are widely marketable?  Couldn't these newspapers hire people with these skills with that $469,000?  Moreover, how is the state getting $238,000 worth of value from this subsidy?

HT to David Strom