Congresswoman Kathy Castor and U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced today that Boley Centers in south St. Petersburg is receiving a $2.3 million grant to provide on-the-job training for approximately 150 youth. The grants are provided through Pathways Out Of Poverty, an initiative funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Pathways Out Of Poverty targets clean-energy job-training initiatives for individuals living below or near the poverty level.

“Boley Centers will use this money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to provide on-the-job training for young people so they can land stable, well-paying jobs,” Castor said. “What is particularly terrific about this is that they will learn the ins and outs of electricity and plumbing, two critical trades as we evolve into a clean-energy economy. These used to be the jobs of the future. Now they are the jobs of today.” St. Petersburg is a leader in clean-energy jobs.

Boley Centers has been serving South St. Petersburg and midtown for 40 years, with special focus on providing jobs and housing for those with mental disabilities. They target that critical, on-the-job training for disadvantaged youth. Boley is working with the Pinellas County school district, St. Petersburg College, Pinellas Technical Educational Centers and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, among others, on this initiative.

“This grant is going to allow Boley to reach out to 150 young people.” Castor said. “This is going to have a powerful impact, especially for our neighbors in South St. Pete, which has an unemployment rate that is far too high.”