YouthBuild of North Central W.Va. offering open house Friday
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ELKINS -- The public is invited to an open house Friday celebrating YouthBuild of North Central West Virginia.
The event is an opportunity for the public to see the YouthBuild facility and learn more about what YouthBuild does and how it serves the community.
The open house will run from 1-4 p.m. Friday at the YouthBuild offices, located at 312 Kennedy Street in Elkins, next to North Elementary School.
The open house will include light refreshments, a tour of the facility, and a short chat on the programming.
The YouthBuild program engages out-of-school youth from ages 16-24 and provides pathways to employment through education, job shadowing, coaching, and a variety of other supportive services.
Trainees choose between a MedPrep pathway – in which YouthBuild partners with local medical institutions as well as community colleges to provide certificates in areas such a medical coding, or CNA – or a Construction pathway, in which participants learn construction skills while building affordable housing and other community assets.
The Randolph County Housing Authority has sponsored the YouthBuild program since 1995. The local chapter at the RCHA serves the North Central West Virginia counties of Randolph, Barbour, Tucker and Upshur.
YouthBuild's next cohort will begin Oct. 9. The participants are already hard at work in the classroom and the job site.
"Our focus is helping to put our trainees to work after helping them to gain skills and experience," said YouthBuild Manager James Mulligan. "We have partners around the community who help us to provide work experience, job shadowing opportunities, and training that can result in industry-recognized credentials that contribute to employment readiness. Trainees earn a stipend while they are active in the YouthBuild program."
YouthBuild trainees in the construction path will be working with the RCHA's construction supervisor, who has decades of experience in the construction trade. The construction crew is currently working on a new rental unit as their first project.
One trainee who opted for the Med-Prep path is currently studying anatomy and physiology before being placed in a volunteer position, for experience, at Davis Medical Center. After completing 60 volunteer hours, that trainee will prepare for training and job shadowing with one of RCHA's local partners.
In addition to employment focus, trainees spend significant time studying for their HiSET exam, West Virginia's high school equivalency. RCHA's education coordinator creates individualized lesson plans for trainees that help put them in the best position to make progress academically.
For more information about the YouthBuild program, call 304-637-9008.