FRANKFORT, Ky. (Feb. 17, 2010) – Governor Steve Beshear has awarded $750,000 in federal stimulus grants to three Local Workforce Investment Boards in Kentucky to develop pre-apprenticeship training programs for careers in construction occupations. The dollars, provided by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) through the governor’s Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Statewide Reserve, will fund the Pre-Apprenticeships in Construction Initiative.

“Career training and development is a key ingredient to putting Kentucky back on the path to economic prosperity,” said Gov. Beshear. “These grants encourage a collaborative approach as we all work together to ensure that our workforce is prepared for the jobs that will pull us out of this recession.”

KentuckianaWorks, the Green River Local Workforce Investment Board (GRWIB) and the Northern Kentucky Workforce Investment Board (NKWIB) will each receive $250,000 to develop pre-apprenticeship training programs that will provide basic skills needed for Registered Apprenticeships (RA) and ultimately move unemployed adults into stable employment. The programs will serve low-income, non-working adults and/or dislocated workers, all with a special emphasis on minority and female participation.

The Pre-Apprenticeships in Construction Initiative is a project of the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet and the Kentucky Workforce Investment Board. The purpose of the initiative is to create integrated, collaborative partnerships that include representatives of the education, labor and workforce development sectors.

KentuckianaWorks will use the funds for their Louisville Construction Pipeline Project and Welding Pre-Apprenticeship Initiative. The pipeline project will embrace the emergence of the Louisville region’s green economy. Participants will be trained to compete for union apprenticeship positions in construction and skilled trades, continuing a successful two-year pilot project between the Louisville Urban League, the Greater Louisville Building and Construction Trades Council and KentuckianaWorks. The welding initiative is a project in partnership with the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 502 and the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing, Pipefitting, Sprinkler Fitting Industry to prepare participants for apprentice positions.

The GRWIB will work in collaboration with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 1701, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators & Allied Workers Local 37 and the Owensboro Area Building and Construction Trades Council to operate the Green River Pre-Apprenticeship Program (GRPAP). This project is a joint effort in response to Gov. Beshear’s challenge to build a collaborative environment where business, government, community leadership and workers will work as a team to identify barriers, anticipate future needs and develop innovative and workable solutions to the challenges faced by each. Using the strengths, abilities and knowledge of the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS), the Career Centers and the RA programs, the GRWIB and the GRPAP advisory board will provide a program that will prepare individuals for RA programs, other occupations and continue education in the construction trades.

The NKWIB will work in collaboration with the Greater Cincinnati Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) and the Greater Cincinnati Apprenticeship Council (GCAC). The program will focus particularly on training opportunities for bricklayers, electricians, plumbers and sheet metal workers. Through a broader network of collaborative partners, the project will provide outreach and recruitment, pre-assessment and selection for participation, leading to enrollment in a 120-hour class where the multi-core craft curriculum developed by the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO will be used. The program will be augmented with observational opportunities, remedial assistance, program coaching/mentoring, stipends, support services and development of Individual Service Plans, leading to placement into RA programs and/or employment in the building and construction industry.

WIA funds are federal dollars from the U.S. Department of Labor. They are administered by the Kentucky Department of Workforce Investment’s Office of Employment and Training in the Kentucky Education and Workforce Development Cabinet.