CSA's Building Futures Program Wins Major Grant Award

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)

The Metro Council’s Community Services Agency Building Futures  pre-apprenticeship training program has won a $900,000 grant as part of the Jobs for the Future consortium. “This is a big deal,” said CSA Executive Director Kathleen McKirchy, “we will get nearly $1 million over three years in partnership with the Community Foundation of the National Capital Region and Wider Opportunities for Women to keep our pre-apprenticeship training program going.” The U.S. Department of Labor awarded six organizations with proven track records a total of $38 million in Green Jobs Innovation Fund grants to serve workers in 19 states and the District of Columbia. "This grant program is an important part of the administration's efforts to equip workers with the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities to succeed in green industry jobs," said Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis. "These are smart investments in the green energy jobs of today and the green energy economy of the future." The Green Jobs Innovation Fund was authorized under the Workforce Investment Act to help workers receive job training in green industry sectors. These funds will help organizations with existing career training programs leverage Registered Apprenticeships, pre-apprenticeship programs and community-based partnerships to build sustainable green career pathways. The grants will help employers, as well, by providing participants with the training they need for the industry-recognized credentials on which employers rely.
Photo: Building Futures students learn how to assemble scaffolding at Laborers Local 657; photo by Silvia Casaro