Photo by James Sanna | Banker & Tradesman staff
Citizens Bank will spend nearly $3 million to support workforce development in Greater Boston through an initiative that will include a micro-credentialing program at Bunker Hill Community College.
The Providence-based bank said yesterday that it will provide $200,000 to Bunker Hill Community College to launch the Citizens Community College Accelerator. The partnership includes an investment in the Washington, D.C.-based Education Design Lab’s Community College Growth Engine Fund. Bunker Hill will be the first Greater Boston school to participate in the Education Design Lab’s program, which is creating a class of credentials called “micro-pathways.”
The Education Design Lab on its website said the program uses real-time labor market data to identify the most in-demand careers in a region and provides micro-credentials leading to earnings at or above the median wage. The credentials can also be used as credits toward a degree.
“We must leverage the unique position of community colleges to advance regional cross-sector solutions to shorten the way between learners, degrees and an economic future of their choosing,” the Education Design Lab said about the micro-credentialing program.
Citizens announced the initiative during an event Tuesday at the Downtown Boston campus of Year Up that included a panel discussion about the current and future needs of the workforce.
Year Up, an organization that provides services to help young adults receive equitable access to economic and educational opportunities, will also receive funding as part of Citizens’ initiative. Year Up will receive $1.6 million for internships and educational opportunities focused on careers in technology services. Citizens said in an email that it has a longstanding partnership with Year Up, including providing internships at the bank’s Johnston, Rhode Island, campus. The bank said it has hired nearly 200 Year Up graduates.
The organization will also receive a $41,000 grant for a program to address the digital divide in underserved community
Another $150,000 will go to LISC Boston to support mid-level health care careers through the Bridges to Career Opportunities and Career Retention programs. Citizens said it will also partner with LISC nationally on a $750,000, three-year pilot program to address digital inclusion and opportunity in Boston and other communities adapting to the post-COVID recovery.
The initiative also includes a total of $840,000 for 20 regional organizations that provide programs supporting pathways to college, workforce training and development, and digital inclusion initiatives.
