The Department of Labor today announced the award of $98 million in grants to 72 organizations in 30 states and Guam to provide training and employment services in an ongoing effort to expand access to apprenticeship opportunities, prepare young workers for quality jobs and strengthen the nation’s workforce to meet industry demands.
The department prioritized proposals that align training with local infrastructure projects funded by the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda.
These YouthBuild Program grants range from $700,000 to $1.5 million each and will support pre-apprenticeships to educate and train young people, ages 16-24, who are neither enrolled in school or now in the labor market, for jobs in construction and other high-demand industries. YouthBuild grants will help deliver education and training to enable participants to build or rehabilitate affordable housing in their communities for people in need.
Today’s awards follow the department’s Nov. 15, 2023, funding availability announcement.
“The YouthBuild grants we’re awarding today will help young people acquire the skills and training needed to access the good-paying jobs created by President Biden’s Investing in America agenda,” explained Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez. “These investments make sure youth and young adults can share in the opportunities the administration is creating and make a better future for themselves no matter their background.”
Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, and supported by the Workforce Innovateion and Opportunity Act, YouthBuild grants support a pre-apprenticeship model that provides disadvantaged young people with occupational skills training, employment services and educational guidance, with an emphasis on green building techniques, including understanding sustainable building materials, solar panel installation and weatherization processes.
YouthBuild participants will divide their time between classroom instruction – where they earn their high school diploma or equivalency degree – and workplace training to prepare for postsecondary occupations. The grants will also enable young people to train for careers in healthcare, information technology, manufacturing and logistics, culinary arts and hospitality.