U.S. Dept. of Labor Awards Evansville YouthBuild $1.1M Grant

YouthBuild, an Evansville, Indiana program of Advantix Development Corporation, received a $1.1 million award from the Employment and Training Administration of the U.S. Department of Labor. In YouthBuild programs, low-income young people ages 16-24 work toward their GED or high school diploma while learning job skills through building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people. Strong emphasis is placed on leadership development and community service. Participants receive OSHA Training & Certification, CPR & First Aid, and certification from The National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) Pre-Apprenticeship program. The recent award will enable participants to enroll in two years of YouthBuild programming, one year of follow-up services, plus continued involvement as members of YouthBuild Evansville Alumni.

Rick Moore, Chief Executive Officer of Advantix Development Corporation, describes the YouthBuild program and its culmination of jobs as, “A recipe for success, which not only offers participants educational and vocational training, but also instills much-needed life skills that will make a true impact on their future endeavors.” He acknowledges that contributions of so many organizations involved with the long-standing program helped secure the grant. These include, Ivy Tech, EVSC, NECA/IBEW Electrical Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee, Grow Southwest Indiana Workforce, Counseling for Change, City of Evansville Parks & Recreation, Promise Zone, as well as YouthBuild Employer Partners, Aerotek (the Toyota hiring firm), Berry Global, and Vectren.

Moore also expresses, “Special thanks to the City of Evansville for bridging the program’s funding gap between grant awards, as well as Congressman Larry Bucshon, and others who supported the continuation of the YouthBuild program in our community.”  The $1.1 million award is in response to an extensive grant application process coordinated by Timothy Martin, Chief Operating Officer at Advantix Development Corporation.

George Flowers, Program Manager for YouthBuild, further explains the positive impact for both the participants and the community: “They will perform many hours of volunteering at several non-profit or charitable organizations around the community – giving back to the same community that has so generously given to them!”

Advantix Development Corporation is a non-profit affiliate of the Evansville Housing Authority (EHA) and currently operates on EHA’s behalf in areas of development, construction, and property management.