This ExLENT Explorations Tack project is a partnership to expand employment opportunities in the advanced manufacturing and construction sector. The partnership intends to grow a competitive workforce by engaging participants in hands-on learning experiences in state-of-the-art laboratories, along with internships at STEM employers. The project is designed to extend support beyond the initial experiential learning activities. Participants receive financial, academic, and career focused assistance to participate in short-term training aimed at securing stable employment. These supports are a critical component of the overall strategy to strengthen workforce readiness. By training more people to work in this high-demand sector, this project supports economic growth at both the regional and national level. This project aims to explore how a short-term, high-support training and internship program can effectively prepare individuals without postsecondary degrees for family-sustaining careers in advanced manufacturing and construction. To achieve this, the team will implement and evaluate a two-month hybrid training and internship program that includes hands-on technical training, paid work experience, and wraparound support services. This project is expected to generate new insights into how support-intensive, community-based interventions can serve as effective, scalable alternatives to college and university-based degree pathways into STEM fields. Findings will be shared op