U.S. Labor Department awards cooperative agreements to improve registered apprenticeship training for youth and young adults with disabilities

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) has awarded cooperative agreements to The Workplace Inc. in Bridgeport, Conn., and the SkillSource Group Inc. in Vienna, Va., to lead consortia to develop innovative models of providing inclusive registered apprenticeship training to youth and young adults with disabilities.

"By improving the capacity of systems to provide apprenticeship training to youth and young adults with disabilities, we can change the expectations of these students and put them on the path to good jobs in high-growth, high-demand industries," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for Disability Employment Policy Kathy Martinez.

The Workplace Inc. will receive an award of $200,000 to lead a consortium that includes Career Resources Inc., the Disability Resource Center of Fairfield County Inc., the Family Services Woodfield-Literacy Volunteers, the State of Connecticut Department of Social Services, the State of Connecticut Board of Education and Services for the Blind, the New England Regional Council of Carpenters, Microboard Processing Inc., and the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America Local 210.

The SkillSource Group Inc. will receive an award of $243,631 to lead a consortium that includes ServiceSource, Northern Virginia Community College, and the Virginia Department of Labor and Industry.

Each cooperative agreement was awarded as a result of a competitive process and both have a 24-month period of performance.

ODEP provides national leadership on disability employment policy by developing and influencing disability employment policies and practices, building collaborative partnerships, and delivering authoritative and credible data on the employment of people with disabilities. For more information, visit http://www.dol.gov/odep/.