Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announces $20 million in grants to prepare high school dropouts and young adult offenders for future employment

WASHINGTON – During a visit to Sasha Bruce Center, a YouthBuild site in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis today announced the release of two national grants in the amounts of $10 million each to serve at-risk youth.

The awards were issued to YouthBuild USA and the National Association of Service and Conservation Corps to support training opportunities for high school dropouts and young adult offenders (ages 18 to 24) nationwide. The two grantees will work in partnership with federal and state correctional agencies, local workforce investment boards and community-based service providers to offer a proven array of academic, employment and other re-entry-focused strategies designed to transform the lives of program participants.

"The grants awarded today will improve the employment prospects of disadvantaged youth, young adult offenders and high school dropouts living in high-poverty, high-crime communities who need our support," said Secretary Solis. "The purpose of these grants is to prepare these individuals for employment by increasing the rate at which participants enter post-secondary education and training, and equipping them with industry-recognized job training skills."

Today's grants are being awarded as a result of a competitive process that was open to national and regional intermediaries with proven experience conducting multi-site projects and serving young adult offenders. Inherent in each award is the understanding that the awardee will be required to competitively select local sub-grantees or program partners to operate the proposed program in a minimum of five high-poverty, high-crime communities in at least two states.

Today's awards were made available through the fiscal year 2009 Department of Labor Appropriations bill. For more information on Department of Labor training programs, visit http://www.doleta.gov.