

The AFL-CIO is partnering with the Permission to Dream program, created by the Chris Gardner Foundation, to put students on the path to good careers through the security of a union job. As part of this collaboration, the AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions will give students in disadvantaged communities the support they need to enter registered apprenticeship programs in the building and construction trades.
The partnership will include a strong focus on ensuring that all students, especially students of color, complete their high school education. Students selected for the program will be required to maintain a certain grade point average and complete the apprenticeship readiness program set by the North America’s Building Trades Unions.
Upon graduation from the program, students will have the opportunity to be placed in a paid, registered apprenticeship with an affiliate union, along with a stipend to cover the cost of all tools and equipment required, and will receive assistance with transportation to and from their training locations.
We are proud to partner with Chris and his foundation on this initiative, because by expanding access to our world-class apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs, we will ensure that more young people experience firsthand the transformational solidarity and support of a good union job.”
I am thrilled beyond words to be in collaboration with the AFL-CIO in our shared vision of changing the trajectory of young people’s lives by providing them with apprenticeships, training and mentoring that will enable them to acquire a global skill set and give them permission to dream.”