SEIWIB Receives Grant to Prepare Youth for Careers in Building Trades

Nearly $1.3 million will provide opportunities for over 70 underserved young adults in southeast Indiana.

(Lawrenceburg, Ind.) - The Southeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board (SEIWIB) has been awarded $1.279 million to provide training in the construction trades, career readiness, high school equivalency, and community service opportunities for over 70 underserved young adults in southeast Indiana.

This funding, known as YouthBuild, is made available by the United States Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration. SEIWIB is one of two organizations in Indiana selected to provide YouthBuild during this most recent funding round.

SEIWIB’s YouthBuild will serve local youths through a building trades pre-apprenticeship program that provides direct entry to a Registered Apprenticeship Program with the Central Midwest Carpenters Union.

Participants will earn wages during the 18 weeks that they are enrolled in YouthBuild, and have opportunities to enter a Registered Apprenticeship or use the skills learned to enter directly into a job in the building trades.

“We are ecstatic that we have been selected to provide this YouthBuild program in southeast Indiana,” said Kurt Kegerreis, Executive Director of Southeast Indiana Workforce Investment Board. “this nationally recognized program provides so much opportunity for youths who are disconnected from work and school. We are excited that our YouthBuild program also provides our participants with an opportunity to enter a Registered Apprenticeship, providing them with an opportunity for a high wage and rewarding career in the building trades.”

Students will complete a robust hands-on curriculum in building trades, while also serving their community by building three homes for Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Indiana.  

“For years, we—and I’m sure many local contractors—have struggled to find skilled workers,” said Shelby Wilson, Executive Director of Habitat for Humanity of Southeast Indiana. “I think YouthBuild can make a real difference by giving young people the opportunity to learn those skills through hands-on experience. For Habitat, it also means having more people on our build sites, which will help us build homes more efficiently and hopefully serve more families. Habitat has always brought people together on our build sites to serve their community while learning construction skills along the way, so YouthBuild feels like a natural fit for what we already do. We’re extremely excited about this partnership and the opportunity to help build both homes and the next generation of skilled tradespeople.”

Additional partners for this project include River Valley Resources, the Southeastern Career Center, and the Indiana Kentucky Regional Council of Carpenters.

SEIWIB and River Valley Resources will begin enrolling YouthBuild participants in late Summer 2026.