Rancho Cielo has been awarded a $1.5 million grant from the Office of Workforce Investment’s Division of Youth Services, administered through its YouthBuild program, which spans over 40 states and comprises over 200 programs and serves over 5,000 youth annually. Among the California recipients of this grant, Rancho Cielo stands tall as the sole Central Coast representative.
With this funding infusion, Rancho Cielo is poised to boost its Drummond Culinary Academy (DCA) and Construction & Sustainable Design Academy, amplifying their impact on our students’ education. Rancho Cielo CEO Chris Devers expresses deep gratitude for this collaboration with the Department of Labor.
“Through this public-private partnership with the Department of Labor, Rancho Cielo will be able to expand the DCA and realize our culinary dreams in the pastry arts,” Devers says. “We’ll also be able to serve more students and prepare more students for jobs, specifically in pastry.”
The YouthBuild grant follows a recent congressional allocation of $1 million, based on U.S. Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren’s (CA-18) recommendation. These funds are already earmarked as seed money to construct a state-of-the-art pastry kitchen as part of an overall expansion of our DCA program.
The funds will also go to Rancho’s Construction & Sustainable Design Academy, propelling the program towards supporting project-based work like housing accessory dwelling units (ADUs), which aligns with the ethos of responsible stewardship, environmental consciousness and the Hayward Healthy Home Score.
Adds Devers, “The Hayward Healthy Home Score initiative equips students with the skills necessary for the construction jobs of tomorrow while prioritizing the creation of homes that are conducive to human health and harmonious with the environment.”
To learn more about YouthBuild, visit dol.gov/agencies/eta/youth/youthbuild.
