YouthBuild Haywood County, TN. is a community-based pre-apprenticeship program that provides job training and educational opportunities for at-risk youth ages 16-24 who have previously dropped out of high school.
We are particularly interested in assisting Youth in the West Tn Are to find available training at the new FORD Blue Oval Plant tat will produce Electric Ford Products. We are actively work with Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) at the Blue Oval City site and the development of a workforce for both construction of the site as well as the Ford and SK Innovation plants.
With the historic announcement of the BlueOval City project in September of 2021, West Tennessee leaders learned that more than 5,800 jobs will be coming to the West Tennessee Megasite in 2025 to produce the electric Ford Lightning truck and EV batteries.
The impact of the project will hit every community in West Tennessee. Three priorities have been identified by ECD to support communities as they prepare for and experience growth.
These priorities include:
- identifying and sharing need-to-know resources through BOC Community Impact meetings;
- serving as a partner to help communities with solutions as growth occurs; and
- managing regional community planning.
Youth learn vocational skills in construction, as well as in other in-demand industries that include health care, information technology, and hospitality. Youth also provide community service through the required construction or rehabilitation of affordable housing for low-income or homeless families in their own neighborhoods. Youth split their time between the vocational training work site and the classroom, where they earn their high school diploma or equivalency degree, learn to be community leaders, and prepare for postsecondary training opportunities, including college, apprenticeships, and employment. YouthBuild Haywood County includes significant support systems, such as a mentoring, follow-up education, employment, and personal counseling services, and participation in community service and civic engagement.