California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) Grant

The goal of the California Opportunity Youth Apprenticeship (COYA) Grant is to develop and test innovative practices to increase the participation of opportunity youth in pre-apprenticeship and apprenticeship programs, and to demonstrate the impact of apprenticeship on employment and earnings outcomes for opportunity youth. COYA was established in SB 191 for the purposes of awarding grant funds to eligible applicants to provide funding for existing apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs or to develop new apprenticeship and pre-apprenticeship programs to serve opportunity youth and satisfy the goals and objectives of the grant program. COYA awarded $31 million in grants through its first round, which was announced in July 2024 and has a performance period of 2024-2026, more details below.