The U.S. Department of Labor has allocated $99.3 million in grants to 71 organizations across 31 states to support training and employment services. This initiative is part of an ongoing effort to enhance access to Registered Apprenticeships, prepare young workers for quality jobs, and equip them with necessary industry skills.
The YouthBuild Program grants are designed to provide pre-apprenticeships for individuals aged 16 to 24 who are not currently enrolled in school or employed. The focus is on construction jobs and other high-demand industries, with the aim of educating participants and enabling them to build or rehabilitate affordable housing within their communities.
Assistant Secretary for Employment and Training José Javier Rodríguez stated, "YouthBuild grants are investments in young people who want to pursue education and receive hands-on training, while providing service to neighbors in need." He added that the awards would help ensure young people benefit from opportunities created by the Biden-Harris administration.
The department emphasized proposals aligning training with local infrastructure projects under the Biden-Harris administration’s Investing in America agenda. Overseen by the Employment and Training Administration and supported by the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, YouthBuild grants promote a pre-apprenticeship model offering educational guidance, occupational skills training, and supportive services like transportation assistance, childcare, healthcare referrals, work attire, and personal protective equipment.
Participants will spend time between classroom instruction—earning a high school diploma or equivalency degree—and workplace training in fields such as healthcare, information technology, manufacturing and logistics, culinary arts, and hospitality.
The department announced grant recipients from various cities across the United States including Birmingham (AL), Phoenix (AZ), Los Angeles (CA), Denver (CO), Atlanta (GA), Chicago (IL), Indianapolis (IN), Baltimore (MD), Flint (MI), Jackson (MS), Las Vegas (NV), New York City (NY), Cincinnati (OH), Austin (TX) among others.
