The U.S. Department of Labor will provide $10 million for grants to help expand supervised programs outside of school that expose young people career options and prepare them to succeed in the workforce.
The grant funding is intended to expand local work readiness programs and support workforce development activities, the Department of Labor said March 9.
“The funds will support efforts to connect out-of-school time organizations with state and local workforce partners. Together, they will work together to develop and implement career-focused programming,” the department said.
A need exists for out-of-school time programs in rural communities. Priority will be to projects serving young people in marginalized communities, the Department of Labor reported, which includes people of color, those with disabilities and those living in rural areas.
Approximately five grants will be awarded with a maximum of $2.5 million planned, according to the department.
American After 3PM reported more rural families with low incomes say afterschool programs cost too much, they can’t safely get children to and from the programs, locations are inconvenient or programs weren’t available, the After School Alliance reported in December 2021.
The Employment and Training Administration will administer the grants to support career exploration services, work readiness, career counseling, work experience such as internships and apprenticeships and youth placement services for employment, education or training, the department said.
