Participants in MATC’s YouthBuild during a project in the Washington Park neighborhood in 2015 (Photo by Brendan O’Brien)

The City of Milwaukee Youth Council is encouraging local young people to participate in Milwaukee Area Technical College’s YouthBuild initiative. YouthBuild is a free program that trains young people in construction work while they earn their GED, empowering the participants to lead successful careers in the trades.

The next session of YouthBuild will begin in June, and those who are interested in participating must complete an academic assessment before Wednesday, June 8, 2016 to qualify. Kalan R. Haywood, II, president of the Youth Council, said the free YouthBuild

opportunity is an offer that’s too good to pass up. “MATC’s YouthBuild initiative is a great opportunity for youth to earn their GED and gain valuable work experience in construction,” he said.

This program is open to anyone between the ages of 16 and 24, who; has not earned a high school diploma; and who has been convicted of a crime, has a documented disability, has been in foster care, has low income, has parents who are migrant farm workers, or has a parent in jail.

Interested youth should contact Kevin Turner at (414) 647-0548 or kturner@journeyhouse.org or Derick Cornelius at (414) 297-6796 or cornelid@matc.edu before June 8.

For more information on MATC’s YouthBuild, please visit http://bit.ly/1VZ1Znc.