Cobb County young people facing a rough transition from school to work are in line for a new federally backed route into skilled careers. CobbWorks has been awarded $1.5 million through the U.S. Department of Labor’s YouthBuild program to combine hands-on construction training with education and career preparation.
The award was announced earlier this month and received renewed local attention in a Marietta Daily Journal report. The program is intended to help teens and young adults reconnect with education while building skills that can lead to in-demand jobs.
According to Rep. Lucy McBath’s office, CobbWorks will work with Construction Ready as its primary construction-training partner and Cobb Adult Education for classroom instruction and GED preparation. McBath said she supported the application with a letter to Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer in February.
Sonya Grant, CobbWorks’ president and CEO, described the award as an investment in young people and the broader local economy. Cobb County Chairwoman Lisa Cupid also backed the effort, saying the grant should strengthen workforce development in a community that is trying to connect residents with practical skills and stable employment.
What The YouthBuild Program Will Offer
YouthBuild is designed for opportunity youth ages 16 to 24 who left school without a secondary diploma. The U.S. Department of Labor says participants split time between vocational training and the classroom, with support that can include GED preparation, transportation assistance, work clothing and help connecting with apprenticeships or jobs.
The federal program also uses construction projects and community service to give participants real-world experience, often including the construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing. The U.S. Department of Labor says YouthBuild operates roughly 200 programs in more than 40 states and serves over 5,000 young people.
CobbWorks already has a local young-adult service network that includes help with finishing school, job training and employment. Its B.O.S.S. program lists high school dropouts, young people needing education or employment help, foster youth, homeless or runaway youth and justice-involved participants among the groups it serves.
The new grant gives that workforce infrastructure another major tool, while bringing a construction-focused partner into the mix. CobbWorks is Cobb County’s designated local workforce development board and operates two American Job Centers, according to Cobb County Government.
Cobb Adult Education offers GED and basic-education classes at multiple locations around the county, including the Cobb Work Source Center in Mableton and sites in Marietta, Smyrna, Kennesaw and Powder Springs. That existing footprint could make it easier for the YouthBuild program to pair job-site training with the academic support participants need, although officials have not yet announced a start date or enrollment schedule.
