Real Skills for Youth: YWCA Rhode Island
Forecasted
Real Skills for Youth: YWCA Rhode Island supports Woonsocket youth through hands-on summer exploration of trades and engineering, building technical and teamwork skills for future college and careers.
Funder: Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training
Due Dates (Anticipated): September 2027 (Partnership proposal deadline)
Funding Amounts: $2.8 million invested in Real Skills for Youth partnerships for FY26; no YWCA-specific award stated
Summary: YWCA Rhode Island offers Woonsocket youth hands-on summer career exploration in trades and engineering.
Key Information: The YWCA program serves youth ages 12–18 in Woonsocket; the projected proposal deadline concerns partnership funding, not youth enrollment.
Description
YWCA Rhode Island leads a six-week, camp-style summer program within Real Skills for Youth, a PrepareRI initiative supported by the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training through its Governor’s Workforce Board. The program introduces young people to carpentry, welding, robotics, and environmental engineering through workshops, hands-on projects, and group activities. It aims to build technical skills alongside communication, teamwork, problem-solving, leadership, and confidence.
Participants receive guidance from program staff, a coordinator, and a youth counselor. Female role models in skilled trades and technical careers share their experience, while activities with the National Association of Women in Construction provide industry-professional mentorship. The broader Real Skills for Youth initiative prepares Rhode Island youth for college and careers through career exposure and work-based learning.
