A federal grant is set to provide new manufacturing job opportunities for young people in southwestern Connecticut.

Gov. Ned Lamont joined Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Rep. Jim Himes to announce the grant, which will provide youth apprenticeships for young people with companies like Bigelow Tea.

The grant will help boost workforce development programs for young adults starting at age 16 all the way to 24. Leaders say the grant is all about partnership and empowerment as they leverage opportunities for not only young people, but also businesses and the state.

"The job that will allow you to say I benefited from the American dream. that's why this is a lot more than $2 million," says Himes. "This is one of the answers to the gaps and the problem that exist in the state of Connecticut and throughout the country."

The family-run Bigelow Tea Company has been in business for 75 years and nearly half its 400 employees work in Connecticut. The company and other small businesses are primed to benefit from getting new young workers.

"It's difficult to be able to find people who necessarily want to go into manufacturing yet it is such a valuable honorable profession," says Cindi Bigelow. "This really starts them young and aligns them into the skill sets."

A portal to apply for manufacturing jobs will open Monday.