Baltimore's 'Dirty Jobs' Host Mike Rowe Attends Job Development Gala

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- For more than a decade, hundreds of Baltimore residents have participated in Project Jumpstart. Tracey Leong has more on the program.

The second annual Build Baltimore Gala attracted community leaders, local chefs, Ravens kicker Justin Tucker and Baltimore native and TV host Mike Rowe, who were all working to create a better future for Baltimore's workforce.

The sold-out event benefits Project Jumpstart, a program dedicated to the construction trades, offering on the job training, as well as meetings with potential employers.

Many key sponsors including Mike Rowe's Foundation say the program is a vital investment in Baltimore's future.

"On a micro level I want to see more people go through the program, turn their lives around, contribute to society turn their lives around, on a macro level, see Cincinnati, Cleveland,  Nashville, Sacramento, so many other cities with the same challenge skill gap everywhere. Opportunities are everywhere. If Baltimore plays its cards right they have got a story they can tell across the whole country," Mike Rowe tells WJZ.

Project Jumpstart has more than 700 successful graduates of the program the proram has a 75 percent success rate for job placement.