To support the efforts of leaders in cities, states, and regions across the country, the Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship (PAYA) seeks applicants for the PAYA Grant Initiative. Sites selected to receive grants will form the core of a visible national community of innovators at the forefront of the movement to expand participation in high-quality youth apprenticeship programs that produce equitable outcomes for students, employers, and communities.

PAYA is looking to support both:

• Partnerships in cities, states, and regions working to launch new youth apprenticeship programs; and
• Practitioners who are already leading existing high-quality programs to expand the reach or improve the outcomes of their programs.

Aligned with PAYA’s National Principles for High-Quality Youth Apprenticeship, grantees will develop and implement strategies that:

• Launch and expand youth apprenticeship pathways that are aligned to careers that pay family-supporting wages and address the workforce needs of local industry partners;
• Advance policy and system alignment to mainstream youth apprenticeship as a high-quality post-secondary option for high school age youth, with equitable access and outcomes; and
• Articulate a long-term vision and plan for the sustainable expansion of their youth apprenticeship program(s).

To advance these strategies, PAYA will support grantees in three primary ways:

• Funding to support cross-site learning, strategy development, and implementation activities between May 2019 and October 2020;
• Technical assistance and support through peer-learning and access to national education, business engagement, and workforce experts; and
• Recognition and visibility through national research, communications, and storytelling efforts to support their cases for expanding high-quality youth apprenticeship.

Participants in youth apprenticeship programs generally range from age 16-24. To be eligible for this grant initiative, programs must be designed to start while apprentices are in high school, per the PAYA definition of high-quality youth apprenticeship. However, apprenticeship programs that plan to serve high school age youth in addition to serving a broader apprentice population are eligible to still apply.

To be considered for the PAYA Grant Initiative, partnerships must submit a completed application by 11:59 PM (PST) on March 8, 2019.