ROSEVILLE – PRIDE Industries is one of three nonprofit organizations in Northern California selected to receive funding from the Golden Sierra Job Training Agency (GSJTA) to operate the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) Youth Employment Program.  The $246,034 grant will be used to serve 60 additional at-risk youth in the coming year, broadening PRIDE’s existing Youth Employment Program serving transition-age foster youth with disabilities.

 

Federally funded, the WIA Youth Employment Program provides education, training, and employment opportunities for low-income and at-risk youth. Placer County is home to 103,658 youth, including more than 32,000 transition-aged youth. More than 7,000 youth in Placer County live below the poverty line and face a wide range of barriers to employment and self-sufficiency, including failure to complete a high-school education, disability, mental illness, and substance abuse. Youth in foster care typically face multiples of these barriers, decreasing their chances for employment and increasing their risk of homelessness, pregnancy, and incarceration.

 

PRIDE has partnered with the Placer County Office of Education and the California Department of Rehabilitation to provide employment preparation and placement services to emancipating foster youth with disabilities for the past five years. This new funding will support the expansion of PRIDE’s existing services, allowing PRIDE to help a broader range of transition-age youth prepare for employment through tutoring, employment soft skills training, vocational training, paid work experience, leadership development, job placement and linkages to secondary and post-secondary education. Additional supports PRIDE provides to help youth succeed include transportation, counseling, help securing vital documents, housing assistance and linkages to key community resources.

 

“Transition-age youth, and particularly foster youth are an underserved and often overlooked population that, with support and guidance, can make tremendous contributions to our community,” said Mindy Tubra, Youth Services Program Manager, PRIDE Industries. “Our efforts work to provide these youth with the critical skills and supports necessary to gain and retain employment, and build a foundation for increased independence and self-sufficiency.”

About PRIDE Industries:

PRIDE Industries is dedicated to creating jobs for people with disabilities and other obstacles to employment. By identifying and developing unique abilities, PRIDE Industries enables people to lead more productive, independent lives benefiting the individuals we serve and our communities.

Media Contact
Kat Maudru

PRIDE Industries is a social enterprise delivering business excellence to public and private organizations nationwide.