Tacoma YouthBuild is recognized by the Department of Labor and Washington State Department of Labor and Industry as a formal Construction Pre Apprenticeship Program that serves young people ages 18 – 24. Students have the opportunity to learn job skills in the construction trades to begin earning living wage jobs upon graduation. YouthBuild also helps young people earn their GED, teaches leadership and life skills that help motivated young adults transform their lives that head towards becoming leaders within their community.
Over the course of 7 months students learn a variety of construction skill sets to include framing and finish carpentry, drywall, painting, plumbing, electrical, tile and heavy equipment operations. Students begin every morning with physical fitness and timed laboring drills. Students can also earn industry recognized certifications such Construction OSHA 10, Red Cross First Aid / CPR, Ladder / Scaffolding Safety, Forklift and Scissor Lift Operators cards, Fall Protection, Heavy Equipment Operations awareness, Asbestos Abatement, Flagger and the MC3 certification recognized by the Building Trades Unions.
Part of career exploration surrounding the construction trades consists of a combination of, guest speakers from the trades who come to talk to the students or students will tour residential / commercial construction job site as well as meet with various Unions. Through our partnership with Habitat for Humanity, students spend one day a week participating in the construction of a house.
The Youthbuild Program is always in need of young people seeking to enter the trades, supportive companies seeking to hire or provide internships to graduates, guest speakers and construction companies willing to provide site tours. The program is free to students with scholarships averaging at $18,000 in training for each student enrolled. YouthBuild needs construction industry partners who want to be involved! They also welcome financial or building material donations to help sustain the costs of running the program.
For more information on how to get involved, please Contact the program Construction Training Coordinator Richard Jones at 253 878 2125 or by email at richardj@goodwillwa.org.