(Washington, D.C.) – Today, Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), is proud to announce three programs in Washington state will each receive $1.1 million to help at-risk youth build their academic and occupational skills. This is the first round of YouthBuild grants awarded under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, a bipartisan law co-authored by Senator Murray and seven of her colleagues, Republicans and Democrats, in the House and Senate. The law took effect July 1, 2015.
“I believe giving our young people the tools they need to succeed is one of the smartest investments we can make as a nation,” Senator Murray said. “The YouthBuild grants awarded in Washington state today will help our young people do better in school, gain a foothold into the middle class, and strengthen our future workforce. This is so important to making sure our economy grows from the middle out, not the top down, and I’m so proud to see this day come to fruition.”
YouthBuild grant recipients in Washington:
Tacoma: Goodwill of the Olympics & Rainier Region
Olympia: Community Youth Services
Spokane: NorthEast Washington Educational Service District 101
YouthBuild is a non-residential, community-based alternative education program that provides classroom instruction and occupational skills training in construction and other in-demand occupations to 16-24 year-olds who have been in the juvenile justice system, are aging out of foster care, have dropped out of high school, or are otherwise at-risk of failing to reach key educational and career milestones. Nationally, the grants will serve an estimated 4,800 participants in 31 states and the District of Columbia over the course of the next three years.
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