Construction Training Partnership EARNs Grant Funding in Maryland
The Baltimore Metro Chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors was recently announced as a recipient of an EARN (Employment Advancement Right Now) Maryland grant by the state Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR). The EARN Maryland program is a state-funded workforce and economic development grant initiative that was passed by the state’s legislature during their 2013 session.
EARN Maryland’s primary purpose is to use industry partnerships to not only train workers, but also place them in meaningful employment. The program focuses on industry sectors with high-demand occupations and puts a significant emphasis on building partnerships between industry, education and community groups to address local skilled workforce needs.
ABC’s Baltimore Metro Chapter was awarded one of the inaugural planning grants to support their innovative Jump Start Program. The program’s mission is simple – to train low-income Baltimore residents to enter the building trades on a construction career track that will help them advance beyond the entry-level.
The program itself is an 87-hour per-apprenticeship training curriculum that delivers both hands-on and classroom instruction to students. Participants are held to the same high standards as construction employees on a job site – including a high commitment to safety.
The Jump Start program created by the Baltimore Metro Chapter of ABC was one of only three grants awarded in the construction field. Twenty-nine grants were awarded overall for the planning phase at an average of $22,000 per recipient. A second round of implementation grants will be awarded in the summer of 2014.
Check out the video below for more information about the Baltimore Metro ABC’s Jump Start program, or click here.
Contributor since July 2013
Mike is the Director of Workforce Policy at Associated Builders and Contractors, Inc.
