ST. LOUIS – About a dozen at-risk and disadvantaged youth graduated Saturday from a construction skills training program, giving them another chance to build a better future for themselves.
Ranken Technical College’s auditorium was filled with joy, cheers, and applause as students received their high school certifications and industry-recognized construction credentials from the YouthBuild Program.
“YouthBuild St. Louis City is for ages 16 to 24 young adults who have found themselves in some unfortunate situations and have dropped out of high school,” said Fredrecka McGlown, executive director of the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE).
For Dor Lisa Buford, faith, patience, and perseverance are what helped her get through the program. Buford said she was in a terrible car accident and wasn’t sure if she could finish the program.
“The hardships with dealing with the education and the construction part—I just stayed determined, I kept faith to push to the end, and I made it,” she said.
Graduate Daron Clay worked three jobs and never missed class.
“This program just really helped me a lot in my life to be more consistent, stay passionate,” he said. “During this whole process, I was working three jobs and just finding my way.”
“YouthBuild is a young person’s maybe second, third, or fourth chance at life to get it right, change the trajectory of their lives and the lives of their families and friends,” McGlown said.
The St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment has received $1,555,629 from the U.S. Department of Labor for YouthBuild’s next cycle.
The program will run from June 1, 2023, to September 30, 2026, to help 65 youths.