The Yonkers Industrial Development Agency is launching a free pre-apprenticeship program in cooperation with the Building and Construction Trades Council of Greater New York. The 20-day training program will run from Aug. 6 to Sept. 7.
The program will provide paid apprenticeships in a variety of building trades for Yonkers residents 18 to 24 years old who are unemployed or underemployed.
Pathways to Apprenticeship, a nonprofit pre-apprenticeship program that trains apprenticeship candidates, will oversee the program and will hold an informational and sign-up session on July 12 at the Riverfront Library at 1 Larkin Center. To be eligible for the program, applicants must have a high school or equivalency diploma, be drug-free, be able to lift at least 50 pounds and commit to attending all 20 days of classes.
Those attending the informational session should come prepared with a high school diploma or GED/TASC, state identification and a social security card. Copies of those documents are acceptable for the initial sign-up, but original documents will be required before the start of the program.
The IDA approved spending up to $250,000 to form the pre-apprenticeship program in hopes of providing employment opportunities for unemployed youth. The measure was passed unanimously by the IDA board on Dec. 19.
“By creating this program, we are providing a career ladder for young people looking for jobs in the construction industry,”™”™ said Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano, chairman of the Yonkers IDA. “Not only are we helping to employ Yonkers residents, but we are working with labor to create a trained workforce for the future.”™”™
Once participants finish the training, they will receive a certificate of completion from the New York Commissioner of Labor and will be eligible to work on union construction projects.
