Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps will receive more than $540,000 in federal grant money to provide job training for young people in the construction and building maintenance fields.
The Department of Labor grant award, announced last week, goes toward the Sacramento corps' YouthBuild program and stacks atop a $1 million award the corps won for the program two years ago.
In the YouthBuild program, unemployed and undereducated young adults can earn their GED while learning job skills in the building trades.
"YouthBuild helps young people in Sacramento gain both the academic and work skills they need to succeed," said Rep. Doris Matsui, D-Sacramento, in a statement.
"The Sacramento Regional Conservation Corps is literally helping our youth build a better life, brick by brick, project by project," she said.
The three-year program, launched in 2009, ends in 2012.
"YouthBuild provides an important second chance to earn an education while also developing valuable skills for the jobs of today and tomorrow," said Labor Secretary Hilda Solis, in a statement announcing the awards.
YouthBuild has already served more than 65 students in its building maintenance program in Sacramento.
Nationally, about 16,000 people have participated in YouthBuild programs, since grants were first awarded in 2007.
Study alternates between the classroom and the job site, where students help to build affordable housing for new, low-income homeowners.
Participants receive a stipend, are trained in plumbing, electrical and other skills, and must perform community service.
About 24 young people ages 18 to 24 will work and study in the program, based out of the corps' John Muir Charter High School, said Dwight Washabaugh, executive director of the Sacramento corps.
The grant award is part of more than $75.8 million in funding for 76 YouthBuild programs in 36 states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Virgin Islands, according to Labor Department officials. For more information on the Sacramento corps, visit www.sacramentolocalconservation corps.org.
Hiring event is June 14
California Job Journal's June hiring event is June 14 in Sacramento.
The free noon event at Holiday Inn Northeast, 5321 Date Ave. in Sacramento, will feature employers from across the region in a number of career fields.
Job seekers can also receive free résumé reviews from on-site employment experts.
For more information, visit jobjournal.com or call (888) 843-5627.
LinkedIn workshop set
Job seekers can build their digital networking skills with a LinkedIn workshop May 26 in Roseville.
The 1 p.m. workshop, sponsored by Active Job Seekers of America, is at Roseville Chamber of Commerce, 650 Douglas Blvd., Roseville. For reservations and other information, visit www.smartnetstrategies.com.
Job-hunting questions?
Ask Terri Carpenter, one of our "Ask the Experts" writers, who answers your career questions online.
A jobs expert at the Sacramento Employment & Training Agency, Carpenter has expertise in résumé writing, job-skills training and career counseling.
To post your questions or view her advice to other job seekers, go to www.sacbee.com/ask.
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