Training money

The Chico Unified School District has received a grant for $1,079,990 from the U.S. Department of Labor to help finance YouthBuild, a program for at-risk 16- to 24-year-olds administered locally by the Academy for Change at Fair View High School.

AFC serves students who have been expelled from other schools, are referred via probation, or are otherwise in danger of not graduating or getting a GED.

YouthBuild was initially designed for students to get training and certificates in construction, among other fields. Students learning construction skills are involved in helping build or rehabilitate housing for low-income or homeless people and families in their communities. The program has recently been expanded to include training in health care and information technology.

The CUSD was one of only seven entities in the state and 68 in the nation to receive a YouthBuild grant.