St. Petersburg College (SPC) will work to connect students with jobs using a $1 million grant from Bank of America. The funding supports the job placement of students who are near the end of their educational pathway. The work will target students of color and those struggling financially to achieve their career goals.
The Florida college will develop a concierge-based service delivery model to place students into employment opportunities targeting information technology, business and finance, and professional services industry sectors. SPC also will create a centralized alignment office that will serve as a bridge between business and education across Tampa Bay.
Over the next three years, SPC is projected to place a minimum of 500 students into high-wage, in-demand careers.
“SPC is excited to collaborate with Bank of America to strengthen the workforce in the Tampa Bay region by better connecting the talent supply with industry demand,” said SPC President Tonjua Williams. “We know that by working together we will help students prepare for – and transition into – higher-paying jobs that result in economic prosperity, especially for those with limited means.”
California
College students cam receive up to $10,000 in paid fellowships and scholarships through a new #CaliforniansForAll College Corps program in the state. Forty-five colleges and universities – including 18 community colleges – were selected as inaugural partners for the program, receiving grants from the state to connect students to service opportunities and ensure students graduate debt-free.
Up to 6,500 college students over two academic years will participate in service opportunities in critical issue areas such as climate action, K-12 education and Covid recovery. Students who complete a year of service will not only gain valuable experience, they’ll also receive $10,000.
Sacramento City College and Woodland Community College are working with University of California, Davis and Sacramento State to recruit and train about 1,000 students and match them with internships at community organizations. The Sacramento Valley consortium will receive up to $16.1 million over two years.
A state grant to College of the Desert (COD) will support its partnership with FIND Food Bank, OneFuture Coachella Valley and Growing Inland Achievement. COD students who invest a total of 450 hours at FIND Food Bank and in the program over the academic year will receive $7,000 and qualify for a $3,000 state scholarship to attend the college.
Maryland
A $120,000 donation to the Community College of Baltimore County’s (CCBC’s) School of Health Professions has helped to establish the Marie S. Hill Endowed Scholarship. It will support CCBC students with financial need who are pursuing nursing as a career change.
Barry Gossett, former CCBC Foundation board member, and Matthew and Joshua Hill, sons of CCBC alumna Marie Sharon Hill, made the donation in memory of the Hills’ mother. Marie Hill grew up in Baltimore, attended Kenwood High School and studied business management at CCBC in the early 1990s. When she was in her late 50s, she decided to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a registered nurse. She earned a degree in nursing in 2004.
“Our mother was a genuinely caring person,” said Joshua Hill. “Attending CCBC was a life-changing experience for her – especially when she was in classes with students half her age – but our mother wanted to show us that anything was possible if one is dedicated enough to it.”
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Prince George’s Community College (PGCC) will use a $100,000 grant from Bank of America to develop micro-pathway for students.
PGCC is one of six institutions in the inaugural cohort of the Education Design Lab’s Community College Growth Engine Fund, a national effort to improve outcomes for underserved students. The new grant funding will build on that work, providing Prince George’s County residents with the opportunity to complete short-term programs of study – micro-pathways – that lead to livable wage jobs.
The micro-pathways will align with regional employer needs and position students for success immediately upon completion.
The college’s partnership with Bank of America will include virtual experiential learning labs, allowing students to engage in an immersive curriculum, competency-based assessments, and collaborative project-based experiences. The pilot program, scheduled to launch spring 2022, will focus on micro-pathways in healthcare, information technology and hospitality.
Mississippi
Itawamba Community College’s precision manufacturing and machining technology program has received a $14,000 grant from the Gene Haas Foundation. The funds will go toward student aid and certifications.
“This grant will be used to help offset some of the financial burden of our students and also help cover the cost in receiving national credentials through the National Institute for Metalworking Skills,” said Jerry Pettigrew, director/instructor.
Missouri
State Fair Community College (SFCC) has received an $18,000 gift from the Gene Haas Foundation for the college’s precision machining technology program.
“The SFCC machining program sees Haas as a primary partner in creating one of the strongest machining programs in the state of Missouri. This partnership, coupled with the drive for SFCC to offer the best technical training, is the catalyst that drives all of SFCC’s technical programs,” said Justin Wright, SFCC’s precision machining program coordinator and instructor.
Wright added that the machining program at SFCC has positioned itself to be a direct pipeline to the machining industry by recently hiring another full-time instructor, adding new equipment throughout the classrooms and shop space, as well as the new Olen Howard Workforce Innovation Center, which will double the size of its machining and welding programs.
Oregon
A $1 million gift to Treasure Valley Community College (TVCC) will support students and career and technical education (CTE) programs. Former local residents Gerald and Sharon Findley provided the gift.
The funding will help to provide on-going support for the new CTE center enter in the way of scholarships for CTE/STEM programs and for students with physical disabilities. It also will provide funding for future program development and equipment needs in the CTE area.
“This gift is such a profound and powerful statement about the value of higher education and CTE programs,” said TVCC President Dana Young. “The transformational educational opportunities created by this gift will have a visible and sustained impact for generations of students to come. Most of all, this generosity will enable future students who otherwise would not be able to attend college to access that opportunity.”
In recognition of the donation and the donor’s intent, TVCC will name the new CTE center in honor of Gerald’s grandmother, Florence Findley, who was a local teacher.
Virginia
Northern Virginia Community College (NVCC) has received a $240,000 innovation grant in the initial phase of Strada Education Network’s $10 million Beyond Completion Challenge. The grant will support NVCC’s efforts to build on its career services through a personalized program called “Career Up,” which aims to address the unique needs of first-generation students.
“Our new Career Up program will provide first-generation students with the skills and networks to connect to rewarding, good-paying jobs in high demand career pathways — strengthening their futures and our region’s economy,” said President Anne Kress.
The 15-week intensive program will help students gain knowledge and skills that are crucial for career exploration, planning, job preparation and more. As part of this program, students will be matched with professional mentors and participate in corporate internships.
Strada’s Beyond Completion Challenge looks to help higher education institutions build solutions that improve career and life opportunities for more students of color, first-generation students, those who struggle to afford education, working students and non-traditional adult learners.
West Virginia
A $50,000 grant to West Virginia Northern Community College (WVNCC) will provide student tuition assistance for the college’s new commercial driver’s license (CDL) program and summer welding institute.
With the grant, from the EQT Foundation, students who qualify can earn their CDL license or a welding certificate for free at WVNCC. The grant provides last-dollar funding.
“There is such a high demand in our region for CDL drivers and welders, but students who have a desire to enter these fields may not be able to do so because they do not qualify for traditional sources of financial aid,” said WVNCC President Daniel Mosser. “With this grant, EQT is removing financial hurdles and will provide these students with a great career and family income.”
