Construction employers in Richmond facing persistent difficulty filling entry-level trade positions now have a new pipeline aimed directly at local high school graduates. Richmond Ed Fund, an independent nonprofit that funds initiatives for Richmond Public Schools, has selected workforce technology company BuildWithin to power RVA Builds, a skilled trades initiative funded through Bloomberg Philanthropies.
The program is designed to move 500 Richmond Public Schools students into paid, work-based skilled trades experiences by the end of the 2028-29 school year, according to information released by the organizations. The effort responds to a workforce gap in the region: fewer than 15 Richmond Public Schools graduates currently enter a Registered Apprenticeship each year, with fast-food chains ranking among the largest employers of recent graduates.
RVA Builds is part of a $90 million national skilled trades initiative from Bloomberg Philanthropies that has launched in nine geographies, including Richmond and Washington, D.C. Richmond Ed Fund received an $8 million investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies to launch the program, which involves 17 partner organizations.
Under the initiative, participating students are expected to complete at least 120 hours of paid work-based learning. Program partners have agreed to pay participants at least $23 per hour in total compensation after graduation. The initiative sets a target of 150 Richmond Public Schools graduates entering Registered Apprenticeships over the next three years.
BuildWithin will serve two roles in the program: technology platform operator and Registered Apprenticeship intermediary. As the platform provider, the company will manage application intake, use AI-assisted tools to match students with skills-based opportunities, track on-the-job training and classroom instruction against U.S. Department of Labor standards, and generate required compliance reporting.
As intermediary, BuildWithin will design apprenticeship programs in electrical, HVAC, welding and construction trades, register those programs with the U.S. Department of Labor, and serve as sponsor of record with Virginia Works on behalf of Richmond Ed Fund. BuildWithin operates as a U.S. Department of Labor National Apprenticeship Program Sponsor across more than 50 DOL-approved occupations and provides workforce technology to employers, intermediaries and public workforce systems in other markets, including a role supporting Washington, D.C.'s labor agency in moving residents into federally funded training.
Registered Apprenticeship pipelines have drawn increased attention from workforce and education funders as construction employers across many U.S. markets continue to report difficulty recruiting entry-level tradespeople in fields such as electrical, HVAC and welding work. Programs that pair paid, work-based learning with formal DOL registration are intended to create a more direct route from high school into skilled trades careers than traditional vocational pathways alone.
For general contractors, specialty trade contractors and workforce developers operating in the Richmond market, RVA Builds represents a new, funded source of entry-level talent moving through a structured, DOL-registered apprenticeship pathway rather than informal hiring channels. Contractors in the electrical, HVAC, welding and construction trades may find recruiting opportunities through the program's 17 partner organizations as the initiative scales toward its three-year target. Employers evaluating workforce partnerships in the region can review program details through the initiative's public-facing resources.
Source: BuildWithin
