Matzie: Nearly $1.4 million awarded to boost regional apprenticeship programs

Rep. Robert Matzie    July 14, 2022 | 2:12 PM

AMBRIDGE, July 14 – Nearly $1.4 million awarded to build and modernize Pennsylvania’s registered apprenticeship system will bring greater career opportunities to Beaver County, state Rep. Rob Matzie announced today.

Matzie, D-Beaver/Allegheny, said the funding will give local students and job seekers a leg up in securing good-paying jobs by connecting them with trusted work partners.

“Students and job seekers who go through pre-apprentice and apprenticeship programs benefit from early exposure to career information, real-life experience with trusted local employers, and a steadier path to family sustaining jobs in key trades,” Matzie said. “Securing this funding is going to expand all of those opportunities right here in Beaver County.”
 

Matzie said the funding includes:

  • $450,000 to KML Carpenters Apprenticeship and Training Fund to expand its Carpenters Apprentice Readiness Program to 100 pre-apprentices.
     
  • $400,000 to the Pittsburgh A. Philip Randolph Institute Education Fund for the Breaking the Chains of Poverty program, which trains minorities and women for apprenticeships and entry-level jobs in the construction, manufacturing, energy and related industries. The fund plans to train a minimum of 64 students during the grant period and place a minimum of 48.
     
  • $324,500 to Junior Achievement of Western Pennsylvania Inc. for a Careers in Skilled Trades pre-apprenticeship program that will expose students to real-life apprenticeship opportunities and careers in construction trades.
     
  • $189,420 to the Builders Guild of Western PA for the Introduction to the Construction Trades Pre-Apprentice Training program, which connects unemployed, underemployed and re-entry individuals to the building and construction trades and also reaches high school students and those who might not otherwise qualify for apprenticeships because of education barriers.

The grants were awarded through the state Department of Labor and Industry’s Apprenticeship and Training Office.