Atlanta Construction Jobs for Dropouts Programs Receive Grants
ningcontentSome high school dropouts in Atlanta and Cobb County are getting help furthering their education and finding Atlanta construction jobs.
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has announced its plan to award grants to programs in the area that train high school dropouts for construction jobs while helping them finish high school, according to an article by the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
The grant money is expected to assist 25 to 30 people between the ages of 16 and 24 earn a high school diploma, prepare for college or technical school and graduate. YouthBuild USA, which has operated a program in Cobb County for 10 years and started an Atlanta program this year, will receive grants of at least $150,000 a year for three years.
“We are very excited,” Lance Wise, program director for YouthBuild in Cobb County, said in the article.
The YouthBuild program offers dropouts part-time jobs building houses, and the rest of the work week is spent in class completing requirements for a high school diploma or GED and 900 hours of community service during 10 months. Those who volunteer receive a $2,500 scholarship to apply toward furthering their education.
YouthBuild also offers students support, such as child care, that may be needed while they go to college.
The grants from the Gates foundation will help put these students through more advanced academic programs before they attend college. It is expected that Georgia State University, Kennesaw State University and Atlanta Technical College will help with the training.
