Funding Announcement: The California Youth Apprenticeship Grant is Now Open!

The California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) and its Division of Apprenticeship Standards (DAS) Solicits Proposals for $25 Million California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship Grant (COYA). In alignment with Governor Newsom’s “Freedom to Succeed” Executive order, COYA is a pivotal initiative that will provide funding to help connect opportunity youth to pathways to employment through apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs. Opportunity youth includes individuals aged 16-24, who are disconnected or are at risk of disconnection from systems such as education, employment, housing, and more. The COYA Grant aims to support opportunity youth in their career development, building in-demand skills, obtaining the experience necessary to pursue a good-paying career across many sectors, and connecting youth with employers hiring for those skills. The focus of the COYA Grant is on the Interagency Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (IACA) connected programs. These are programs that serve occupations across many sectors of the economy such as healthcare, education, advanced manufacturing, information technology, public sector, transportation, and all sectors outside the building trades.

What DAS Deputy Chief Adele Burnes said: “This grant is a call to action to harness strong partnerships that will bring our shared vision of creating equitable career pathways, empowering the next generation of young professionals, and addressing the unmet need in the labor market.”

If you missed the COYA Information Webinar, the full recording is now available by visiting the following page: CA Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship Grant Informational Teleconference.

For more information about the COYA Grant, please visit the DAS COYA web page.

February 2024