To help remove academic and training barriers faced by young people, on November 30, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) announced a $90 million funding opportunity in YouthBuild Program grants to support pre-apprenticeships in high-demand industries including healthcare (and the care economy), construction, information technology and hospitality. Administered by the DOL’s Employment and Training Administration, the grants will fund approximately 75 projects nationwide with individual grants ranging from $700,000 to $1.5 million and require a 25 percent match from applicants, using sources other than federal funding.
Eligible applicants for these grants are public or private non-profit agencies or organizations, including a consortia of such agencies or organizations. These organizations include rural, urban, or Native American/Tribal entities that have previously served opportunity youth in a YouthBuild or other similar program. The grants will be required to support occupational skills training, employment services and educational guidance to disadvantaged young people, from ages 16 to 24, in communities where barriers to basic academic and career skills development exist. Grantees must also develop program models that align with pre-apprenticeship under the Registered Apprenticeship Program. DOL expects applicants funded through this solicitation to have well established partnerships in place prior to the grant award. More information on the grants are available, at Search Grants | GRANTS.GOV
