Entering the workforce is far less daunting when young people come equipped with the skills and knowledge to pave their own way. It’s easier said than done, especially for disadvantaged young adults who lack the resources and guidance to activate their full potential.
Since 1978, YouthBuild has set out to carve a new direction for career development, having grown a suite of over 340 programs across seven countries and providing industry-targeted training to over 220,000 young adults between the ages of 16 and 24. The model’s strategy has remained the same for nearly 50 years — pulling together national corporations, local stakeholders and community programs to drive a generational impact.
YouthBuild Global Senior Manager of Manufacturing and Logistics Shauna Donahue says YouthBuild’s various partnerships — such as collaborations with W.W. Grainger and the Arconic Foundation — continue to be instrumental in bridging the gap between industry and potential in communities across the nation. The cultivation of various community-focused programs has been vital to opening doors to careers with family-sustaining wages, benefits and long-term growth for opportunity youth.
“This kind of collaboration isn’t just about credentials alone — it’s about fostering a symbiotic relationship that allows everyone to thrive,” says Donahue. “It’s transformative for both opportunity youth and employers because YouthBuild students gain industry-related credentials and access to well-paying careers, while companies benefit from a dependable pipeline of employees who are trained for the task in front of them — and, most importantly, prepared to be dependable employees.”
The idea is to meet opportunity youth where they are. Luckily, one or more major corporate players are typically in some form operating in that very region. YouthBuild has been able to launch 13 industry pathway programs across the U.S. — including solar; manufacturing and logistics; health care; and construction trades — and fresh collaboration has been vital to this growth.
Results Beget New Growth
Maintenance, repair and operating products distributor W.W. Grainger’s headquarters has been a staple of the Lake Forest community in Illinois for 28 years. The company is no stranger when it comes to interacting with local talent, having formed an early connection with YouthBuild’s Lake County and Waukegan program sites. Grainger team members were keen to get involved with students, engaging in volunteer events to work alongside curious teens interested in manufacturing and logistics careers, while offering mentorship as students navigate professional development. Ultimately, the duo began exploring the potential of expanding this partnership on a national scale in regions where Grainger operates.
In 2024, eight YouthBuild locations — selected within California, Illinois, Kansas, Kentucky, New Jersey and Texas — launched the manufacturing and logistics training program. Each site customized its program approach based on local capacity and Grainger team member availability for group activities, career readiness workshops, job shadowing and mentorship. This strategy was designed to ensure each student gains individual guidance and experiences throughout the program’s duration.
The company’s direct involvement and financial support has been pivotal to advancing construction training to gain National Center for Construction Education and Research or Home Builders Institute certifications. Since YouthBuild programs aim to support students who are not currently enrolled in school or employed, this funding additionally creates a stable opportunity for students to reconnect with their education.
“The partnership with Grainger has exceeded our expectations in its impact on both our programs and our individual members at YouthBuild Waukegan,” says YouthBuild Waukegan Director of Development and Strategic Partnerships Beth Pierson. “It has set a standard for other partnerships, demonstrating how strategic collaboration can directly benefit our members and strengthen our community.”
A little over a year following the initial network launch, Grainger was ready to expand the program near three more of its sites in Atlanta, Georgia; Chicago, Illinois; and Stockton, California. These locations were identified as not only having strong employee interest but ideal existing program alignment to focus on supply chain and distribution, such as YouthBuild San Joaquin’s dedicated logistics career pathway.
Grainger has expanded its manufacturing and logistics training program to 11 U.S. states, customizing each site based on local capacity and Grainger team member availability to support professional development.
Photo courtesy of YouthBuild Global
“The program was designed with flexibility to scale based on partnership priorities and local site capacity,” says Donahue. “Expansion is never guaranteed, but it is certainly driven in this case by success and mutual interest.”
To date across the 11 sites, the YouthBuild and Grainger partnership has seen 346 students successfully complete the program.
The Gift of Success
Aside from the formative impact corporate partnerships bring to YouthBuild’s program portfolio, outside investment into workforce development has helped the organization strengthen its own initiatives. Arconic Foundation, the philanthropic arm of aluminum products manufacturer Arconic, serves as a prime example. In 2023, YouthBuild first announced its dedicated manufacturing and logistics pathway that was launched with initial funding support from the Arconic Foundation. This investment allowed the organization to launch programs near manufacturing plants or logistics sites with the goal of forming new partnerships in rural, urban and tribal communities.
In Knoxville, Tennessee, a four-week manufacturing bootcamp provided interactive training, in addition to allowing students to experience real-world manufacturing environments at local production facilities.
Photo courtesy of YouthBuild Global
News of renewed investment from Arconic Foundation in October 2025 additionally included the announcement of two new pilot manufacturing training sites that began at Knoxville Leadership Foundation YouthBuild in Tennessee and the Garfield Jubilee YouthBuild in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
“Both Knoxville and Pittsburgh have a high concentration of manufacturing companies, including Arconic locations. However, neither YouthBuild site had previously offered a manufacturing track or established employer partnerships in this sector,” notes Donahue. “Early indicators suggest strong interest from local stakeholders, as these programs fill a critical gap by connecting opportunity youth to careers in manufacturing and logistics.”
Each pilot allowed local students to explore manufacturing career opportunities that exist within their region. In Knoxville, students participated in the four-week manufacturing bootcamp with Pellissippi State Community College and a Tooling U Certified Manufacturing Associate, supplying students with hands-on training. In addition, students were taken on tours of local Flowers Bakery, Keurig Dr. Pepper and Timken manufacturing plants to deepen their experience.
In Pittsburgh, students attended an eight-week bootcamp led by the Community College of Allegheny County and featuring Manufacturing Skills Standards Council training. Local manufacturing consulting and training services nonprofit Catalyst Connection participated in the program by tracking each students progress and facilitating tours of local facilities. During the program, students were able to interact with the Catalyst Connection Learning Lab and visit the operations of energy storage solution manufacturer Eos Energy Enterprises.
“The pilot programs in Knoxville and Pittsburgh will give YouthBuild Global the chance to evaluate outcomes and refine the model. The primary goal is to understand how career exposure and exploration can drive interest in manufacturing pathways,” says Donahue. “Insights from these pilots will shape scalable models for other sites, ensuring YouthBuild can replicate success and strengthen employer partnerships nationwide.”
