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Youth and young adults ages 17 to 24, primarily those who have dropped out of school, are being recruited for the fall 2010 entering class of the YouthBuild Academy, with housing projects sponsored by the Southern Appalachian Labor School (SALS). Forty slots are available, according to a press release.
Project director Kathryn South says participants can earn stipends while they complete their GEDs and learn building construction techniques. Construction competencies will be certified by the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER), a construction industry trade organization. In addition, participants will be eligible for AmeriCorps educational awards, which will pay for further education and training over a 10-year period.
As an example, Bridgemont Community and Technical College offers a certificate and degree in sustainable technology with a focus on green building.
“If you have the desire to obtain your GED and are willing to commit to at least six months’ work that could last as long as two years, this is a program that you need to take advantage of,” South said.
“This is the only opportunity of this kind in southern West Virginia,” South added.
While enrolled in the program, students will have access to a counselor who will assist them in finding counseling, day care and other support services.
Following the program, a jobs placement coordinator will help those students who complete their training and pass the GED exam to find jobs in construction or a related field, or to enroll in college or training for further competencies.
To enroll, prospective young adults need only to submit an application. Most applicants must be high school dropouts and not have a GED.
For an application or more information, call 304-779-2772 or 304-779-2280, or write: SALS, P.O. Box 127, Kincaid, WV 25119.
Applications are also available at the adult basic education center at Fayette Institute of Technology on Oyler Avenue in Oak Hill and in Room 327, COBE Building on the WVU Tech campus in Montgomery.
