Washington, DC - United States Senators Elizabeth Warren and Edward J. Markey and Congressman Stephen Lynch today applauded the announcement of a $4,867,815 grant to Jobs for the Future, Inc. through the Youth CareerConnect program. The grant, announced by President Barack Obama on Monday, will help Jobs for the Future provide support for students to acquire critical career skills.

"This significant Youth CareerConnect grant is a great example of how we can invest in our students and help them build a future, " said Senator Warren. "Jobs for the Future has done excellent work here in the Commonwealth and across the country helping young people prepare to go to college and start careers.  I'm very glad this grant will support their efforts to prepare Massachusetts students for careers in high-demand industries like IT, advanced manufacturing, and health care."

"This YouthCareer Connect grant will help prepare our students for tomorrow by giving them access to real-world learning opportunities today," said Senator Markey. "When we equip our students for jobs in the industries at the heart of our innovation economy, we are ensuring our leadership in areas such as biotechnology and high-tech manufacturing. Thanks to this grant, our students will be trained with the skills they need to be the new leaders expanding Massachusetts' technological edge in the future." 

"I am extremely pleased to hear that Jobs for the Future, Inc., has been awarded a $4.8 million Youth CareerConnect grant," said Congressman Lynch. "This grant will provide important resources to prepare low-income and minority students to graduate high school in the best condition to succeed in both college and the workforce. It is critical to the health of our nation's economy that we continue to invest in our young people and the Youth CareerConnect grant program does just that. I give Senators Warren and Markey great credit for their work on this. " 

Jobs for the Future, Inc., which is based in Boston, offers a range of programs to help low-income youth and adults in 25 states develop the skills and credentials they need to succeed in the workforce. The nonprofit works to ensure young people graduate high school with the education they need to be competitive in college and to be able to begin good careers.

Youth CareerConnect is a new program coordinated by the U.S. Department of Labor and Department of Education. President Obama announced 24 grants Youth CareerConnect grants today, totaling $107 million, to help high schools and partnering programs around the country prepare students with industry-relevant education and the knowledge students need to succeed in the future. A fact sheet on the Youth CareerConnect program is available at the White House's website here.