Auberle assisting young people with job placement through YouthBuild program

Auberle in McKeesport will provide youth more opportunities for employment and to build wealth when its YouthBuild program launches in February.

The initiative will allow Auberle to serve more than 65 unemployed or underemployed individuals from across Allegheny County from the ages of 16 to 24.

Participants will be able to earn their GED and pre-apprenticeship certificate training, a pre-apprenticeship construction certificate, which will place them at the front of interview lines for apprenticeships with unions or competitive wage jobs at Auberle’s more than 290 employer partners, according to Abby Wolensky, director of Auberle’s Employment Institute.

There are a percentage of spots for young people who already have their high school diploma and are just interested in the certificate apprenticeship training, Wolensky said.

The program is free to all participants thanks to a $1.4 million grant from the U.S. Department of Labor.

Isaiah Johnson, 24, is a graduate of the Employment Institute and works in environmental services at UPMC Magee, maintaining the cleanliness of the healthcare environment and equipment. “Years ago, I started with them, and I got a job working at Rivers Casino, and then I got another call for UPMC Magee,” he said in a video interview with Auberle. “They helped me get my driver’s license, CPR certified and customer service certification … I got a job, got a house, I was just able to get my own life. There are obstacles in life, but they help you overcome them. That is what I like about Auberle.”

While the program Isaiah was in is different from the YouthBuild program launching in February, the goal is similar.

The YouthBuild grant was awarded to Auberle by the Employment and Training Administration. Auberle received the grant under the YouthBuild Funding Opportunity Announcement for 2024, according to Monica Vereen, public affairs specialist at the Office of Public Affairs at the U.S. Department of Labor.

Wolensky said what made Auberle stand out is their holistic focus and emphasis on the whole individual.

“Auberle is here to help them break cycles that they may be facing, whether it be a cycle of poverty or potentially a cycle of addiction. Whatever that need might be, Auberle is here to support them,” she said.

Auberle offers more than 30 supportive services. While YouthBuild serves a specific age range, the Employment Institute serves any individual aged 14 and older.

“Any individual facing any barrier to employment can come to us for assistance,” Wolensky said. “We are not unwilling to show up to a work site with a food box for someone or provide detergent for their laundry so that they have a clean uniform for the next day; really breaking down transportation and childcare barriers,” Wolensky said.

The U.S. Department of Labor will require Auberle to report a person’s outcome for 12 months after they have been placed in employment. “We stick with them for life. We don’t place a time limit on how long an individual can seek support,” Wolensky said.

They are also partnering with Action Housing, Goodwill, and Home Building International (HBI) to bring a holistic perspective and provide more hands-on experience. Young people will get to learn directly from Action Housing and some of the projects they have going on in and around the Pittsburgh area.

Wolensky said the hands-on experience, along with the classroom experience, is crucial.

“I think we are talking about really good jobs here. We are talking about young people who will be coming out of this program making $18 to $22 an hour to start, and those are living, family-sustaining wages in the area. Those are wages that break cycles of socio-economic distress. Those are wages that allow individuals to contribute to their families and to the economy,” she said.