US Department of Labor awards nearly $14M in grants to help prepare young people for good-paying jobs, successful careers

WASHINGTON – To support workforce development programs that prepare young people and help them access good-paying careers, the U.S. Department of Labor today announced the award of $14 million in grants to seven organizations in five states to deliver workforce services when youth are out of school.

The Workforce Pathways for Youth demonstration grants being made to organizations in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Georgia and Virginia are intended to support recipients’ efforts to supply workforce readiness programming for historically underserved youth from ages 14 to 21 in 21 states and American Samoa.

Organizations will deliver job training and develop summer and year-round workforce pathway opportunities for youth and include strategies such as soft skills development, career exploration, job readiness and industry-based certifications. These strategies may also include proven earn-and-learn models of pre-apprenticeships and Registered Apprenticeships.

The awards reported today follow the department’s announcement of $15 million in available funding and are part of the department’s Youth Employment Works strategy that seeks to deliver a “no-wrong-door” approach for youth to access good jobs. The department’s Employment and Training Administration administers the Workforce Pathways for Youth program.

The department awarded the following Workforce Pathways for Youth grants: