KINGSTON – The US Department of Labor has awarded Ulster YouthBuild LLC a $987,881 three-year grant to provide YouthBuild training programs.
The program has been funded by the federal government since it began in 1994.
YouthBuild is a youth and community development program that offers its participants the opportunity to continue their education to secure a high school equivalency diploma and receive life skills and leadership development training while learning housing construction skills with hands-on training at a housing construction site.
Construction is a vehicle for work readiness but all participants do not necessarily go into construction, said Executive Director Bonnie Landi. “They can choose over the year of training to enter into college. They can choose to enter into other vocations, but the construction training skills over the years with the YouthBuild program has been utilized as a vehicle to help young people understand the requirements to be ready to work – come to work on time, attend regularly and listen to your superiors and do what is expected of you,” she said.
To date, Ulster YouthBuild has completed 25 houses, 23 in the City of Kingston, one in Ellenville and one in the Town of Ulster.
For the next three-year grant, the program will target the area from Saugerties to Ellenville and in addition to construction training, will offer an alternative occupational skills training component in manufacturing.
