PROVIDENCE – The Providence Plan has been awarded a $960,000 grant from the federal Department of Labor for its YouthBuild Providence program, which provides high school dropouts with alternative education and job skills training.
The grant, announced by U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, will allow 60 new trainees to be enrolled over the next two years.
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“This money will offer more young people an opportunity to build for their future and help create a better education work force for Rhode Island,” Reed, a member of the Appropriations committee that oversees funding for Labor Department programs, said in a statement. “A lot of these young people have struggled in a traditional school setting, but they have thrived in the YouthBuild program and are on their way to launching successful careers in the construction business.”
YouthBuild Providence targets Providence residents ages 16 to 24 who were unsuccessful in traditional schools because of low literacy levels, poverty or involvement in the criminal justice system.
The 10-month program helps students get their General Education Development (GED) diplomas, while also providing training in the construction industry. Participants learn how to build and renovate low-income housing, so they can begin new careers as construction workers.
Program director Andrew Cortes – who also directs ProvPlan’s Building Futures program – said: “With a 92-percent retention of our last class and over a $12-per-hour average wage for our graduates, YouthBuild Providence represents effective federal investment on a local level, improving the quality of life for both our young adults and our communities.”
YouthBuild Providence – a program of The Providence Plan – is an alternative education program that helps high school dropouts ages 16 to 24 to acquire the literacy and job-readiness skills they need to succeed in the work force. It is one of more than 200 programs nationwide that are members of YouthBuild USA, and one of only 125 that have achieved the higher affiliate designation. To learn more, visit ProvPlan.org.
