WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Randolph County Housing Authority has been awarded $1,198,500 as part of the U.S. Department of Labor’s Tuesday announcement of $90.4 million in YouthBuild grants across the country.

The Randolph County Housing Authority’s was the only YouthBuild grant award announced for West Virginia.

A Department of Labor press release said the YouthBuild grants will “prepare young adults not enrolled in school or participating in the labor market for jobs in construction and other in-demand industries through apprenticeship and other career pathways, especially jobs that support clean energy technologies.”

On Tuesday, the Department of Labor awarded 68 grants – ranging from $700,000 to $1.5 million – to organizations in 28 states and Puerto Rico to deliver job training and employment services.

“Participants will engage in classroom learning that will prepare them for work-based learning opportunities building and rehabilitating affordable housing for low-income or homeless families in their communities,” the release states.

Participants will split their time between workplace training and the classroom, where they will earn a high school diploma or equivalent degree to prepare for postsecondary opportunities.

“Administered by the department’s Employment and Training Administration, the latest YouthBuild grants complement the Biden-Harris administration’s workforce priorities to advance equitable career pathway opportunities, quality jobs and climate sustainability by supporting programs that provide construction skills focused on green building techniques, including understanding sustainable building materials, solar panel installation, weatherization processes and the use of Energy Star appliances,” the release states.

“These announcements will also further President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative that commits to delivering at least 40 percent of the benefits from federal climate and clean energy investments to disadvantaged communities.

“For the first time, the YouthBuild funding opportunity announcement included criteria that awarded bonus points for applicants that demonstrated their ability to provide training in green construction techniques, training the next generation of workers for resilience and clean energy careers of the future,” according to the release.

YouthBuild programs also train young people for employment in healthcare, information technology, manufacturing and logistics, culinary arts and hospitality.