Operation Lifeline, a nonprofit in Clay County that provides housing assistance and skills training for veterans returning to the civilian population, now has a registered apprenticeship program to help veterans train for jobs in the construction industry – and funding to offset the program.
With assistance from CareerSource NEFL Apprenticeship Manager Doreen Lund, working with the Florida Department of Education (FDOE), the nonprofit now has a carpentry apprenticeship registered and approved by the state – the first registered apprenticeship to occur in Clay County since 2020.
In addition, Operation Lifeline is now working with CareerSource NEFL to receive funding to offset the cost of apprenticeship training through the ‘Get There Faster Grant’ – a Florida-based, Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA)-funded program providing training and education to veterans, military spouses, and other at-risk individuals…which also covers costs for short-term certification programs in fields like information technology, healthcare and various trades.
Operation Lifeline Founder and Executive Director Erick Saks says they’ve identified their first apprentice for the program: a disabled combat veteran who started this month.
“We were excited to get connected to CareerSource Northeast Florida through Julie Nichols at FDOE, who handles the apprentice credentialing for the state,” he said. “Up until now, we’ve been connecting former veterans to construction jobs through an internship program. Achieving the official credentialing is something we’ve been wanting to do for a while.”
Since its founding, Operation Lifeline has been providing carpentry training through the SkillBridge Program, which allows transitioning service members to spend their last 180 days of active duty gaining civilian work experience through internships – continuing to receive military pay and benefits as they explore new careers.
“We’ve had a lot of success in getting people into the construction industry, which is very much in need of people right now,” Saks said. “Military members make a fantastic addition to the industry.”
Saks says they’ve been able to place about “a dozen or so” former service members into construction jobs through the SkillBridge Program.
“Although we’ve been doing it this way for a few years, we wanted a more formalized procedure for our training,” Saks said.
In addition to helping veterans obtain jobs, Operation Lifeline also has multiple homes in Clay County that they are either building or refurbishing – which will also allow the apprentices to practice skills as well as provide affordable (or no-cost) housing to other veterans.
Saks says they later hope to expand and register a construction pre-apprenticeship program aimed at veterans and underserved youth.
To help them reach that goal, CareerSource NEFL’s Program Manager for Youth Services Atheia Gillespie introduced Operation Lifeline to AMI Kids for a possible collaboration that would offer construction training to the region’s youth population – and also supported a ‘YouthBuild’ grant application based on this partnership.
Saks founded the nonprofit shortly after retiring from the United States Air Force and, as a civilian, serving on the St. Johns County Housing Finance Authority, where he “was shocked” to learn about the challenges our lower-income families, including many veterans, were experiencing due to the soaring housing market.
Saks came to the realization that his service and mission could continue at home though Operation Lifeline.
“I was floored by the immediate support our nonprofit received from the local governments, and found wonderful individuals who were eager to invest their time to help veterans,” he said.