dcwins.com
Birmingham Promise is offering a new form of career assistance to former students of Birmingham City Schools.
The program, Promise Pathways, is available to former Birmingham students ages 16-24 who are not currently enrolled in high school, college or job-training programs but who are interested in getting connected with career opportunities.
“This is for people who want to find a career and not just a job,” said Zara Greene, Apprenticeship Program Manager for Birmingham Promise. “We want to help people get on a pathway that will provide a living wage and not just a paycheck.”
As many as 25 individuals will be able to explore careers and get connected with those opportunities through the program. Interested individuals can apply at https://forms.gle/Gw9QYizz2ogtwc946.
The free services are being offered through a federal grant under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, which was designed to help get young people and others overcome employment barriers and get connected with high-quality jobs.
“This funding allows us to help students who didn’t participate in our core programs,” said Samantha Williams, Executive Director of Birmingham Promise. “These are Birmingham students who graduated without applying for scholarships, or who didn’t have a career in mind, or who may not have finished high school at all. While Pathways doesn’t provide college tuition, it does offer a second chance for these students to explore the abundant pathways that are still available to them.”
Birmingham Promise provides up to four years of tuition assistance for graduates of Birmingham City Schools who attend public colleges and universities in Alabama. It also manages a paid internship program that allows high school seniors to build valuable work experience.
The Birmingham Promise scholarship program is open only to Birmingham City Schools students who are enrolled in college by the fall semester following their graduation. It provides up to four years of tuition for in-state, public institutions, but students must be continuously enrolled in college to continue receiving assistance.
Participants in the Pathways program won’t be eligible for Promise scholarships but they will be connected with other career resources in the community, including college and training programs. They will also receive assistance to explore career options, in some cases using virtual reality technology to help them experience jobs.
“We really want to encourage anyone who is interested to apply and see what’s out there for them,” Greene said. “This is a great opportunity to find a path to a successful and fulfilling future.”
For more information on Birmingham Promise, visit http://www.birminghampromise.org/ or follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
