CRANSTON – Gov. Daniel J. McKee has continued his public push for his $2 million investment to fund job training programs for the state’s future workforce.
On April 24, he joined Matthew Weldon, director of the R.I. Department of Labor and Training, and the nonprofit We Make RI at the organization’s Cranston facility to highlight the need to create 1,000 new work-based learning opportunities for youths through programs such as Real Skills for Youth and the PrepareRI High School Internship Program.
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We Make RI helps participants ages 16-24 learn essential skills for careers in manufacturing through an 84-hour paid internship that combines job readiness training with hands-on manufacturing experience.
Founded in 2023, the organization has trained 55 interns through the Real Skills for Youth program.
“When we invest in our young people, we invest in Rhode Island’s future,” McKee said. “Work-based learning is the key to economic prosperity for our cities and towns, businesses and families.”
The gathering in Cranston “was a powerful reminder of why these investments matter,” Weldon said. “These experiences are opening doors for young Rhode Islanders to build confidence, gain the real-world skills they need to thrive, and explore meaningful careers they may not have otherwise considered.”
Barbara Jackson, executive director of We Make RI, said the program “gives participants the opportunity to do real hands-on work in a real factory.”
“They have production responsibilities, they have production quotas and they have to explain to their peers what works, what doesn’t work and what might work better,” she said. “Their growth in good decision-making and problem-solving over the 84 hours is amazing. At the program’s end, participants have a level of self-confidence that will serve them well, no matter what their next career step is.”
Christopher Allen is a PBN staff writer. You may contact him at Allen@PBN.com.
