July 3
New job training partnership between NSCC, Year Up
North Shore Community College (NSCC) and Year Up Greater Boston are collaborating to launch a joint program this fall that will combine education with professional skills training, internship opportunities and wrap-around support for underserved youth ages 18-24.
To be based on the college’s Lynn campus, the Year Up Professional Training Corps program at NSCC will be launched in September 2019 with classes to begin in January 2020. Significant work to move the partnership forward is already underway and a formal Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was recently signed during a public ceremony.
The collaboration will fully integrate NSCC’s excellence in academic instruction and student support with YU’s proven professional skills training, access to corporate partners for internship opportunities and wrap-around support. Year Up’s mission is to close the “Opportunity Divide” by ensuring that young adults gain the skills, experiences, and support that will empower them to reach their potential through careers and higher education.
Throughout the year, students will earn college credits and a weekly financial stipend. Participants will also receive one semester of free technical and professional skills classes, followed by a semester-long internship at a top area business.
“The collaboration aims to generate positive employment and academic outcomes that will support NSCC students as they continue on their path toward credential progression and a professional career,” said Bob Dame, Year Up Executive Director. “Together NSCC and YU will provide a robust and adaptable pipeline of talent for North Shore businesses while developing opportunities for NSCC students from underserved communities.”
NSCC President Dr. Patricia A. Gentile noted, “NSCC's award winning academic programs and welcoming, nurturing environment sets the stage for true collaboration with excellent career-focused organizations like Year Up. This workforce collaboration will make a huge difference in the lives of many NSCC students and, I expect, will open doors to self-sustaining careers and life long learning opportunities in the North Shore region and beyond. Adding Year Up's impressive program and practices to NSCC's existing offerings will elevate the impact of what we can do individually and add value for our students, business partners, community organizations and the North Shore economy.”
Details of the partnership include: YU will provide “soft skills” training and extra-curricular programming that complement NSCC’s academic experience and that offer workplace preparation for a subset of NSCC students identified by YU as meeting the YU criteria (i.e. 18-24-year olds in specified majors with necessary readiness) who are accepted into the program.
YU will also facilitate the provision of a 26-week full-time professional career-track internship program for all NSCC students-YU participants who successfully complete the Learning and Development phase of the Program. The College intends to award college credit, as it deems appropriate, to NSCC students-YU participants who complete the corporate internship program.
YU will provide educational stipends for all NSCC students-YU participants in the Program. These stipends are paid during both the learning and development and Internship phase.
In addition to the MOU signing, the two organizations honored nine Year Up alumni who also graduated from NSCC. Over 100 Year Up alumni, friends and special guests attended the reception including community members of the newly-created Year Up North Shore Launch Council, including: Colin Codner, Executive Director, Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce; Danielson Gomes, Information Systems Analyst, American Tower (alumnus of NSCC and Year Up); Laura Kurzrok, former Executive Director, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation; Sarah Link, Vice President of Community Impact, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley; Thomas McGee, Mayor, City of Lynn; Shamir Murad, Support Engineer, CyberArk (alumnus of NSCC and Year Up); Mary Sarris, Executive Director, North Shore Workforce Board; Binkley Shorts, Philanthropist; Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, Superintendent, Lynn Public Schools and Gladys Vega, Executive Director, Chelsea Collaborative.
For more information on Year Up at NSCC contact Jill Thornton, NSCC Dean of Strategic Partnerships, at jthornto@northshore.edu or Michael Goldstein at YU at mgoldstein@yearup.org.
Photo caption: Seated, l-r: NSCC President Patricia Gentile, Year Up Executive Director Bob Dame Standing l-r: Senator Brendan Creighton, Sarah Link, Vice President of Community Impact, United Way of Massachusetts Bay and Merrimack Valley; Laura Kurzrok, former Executive Director, Eastern Bank Charitable Foundation; Mary Sarris, Executive Director, North Shore Workforce Board; Binkley Shorts, Philanthropist; Danielson Gomes, Information Systems Analyst, American Tower (alumnus of NSCC and Year Up); Dr. Patrick Tutwiler, Superintendent, Lynn Public Schools; Thomas McGee, Mayor, City of Lynn; and Colin Codner, Executive Director, Lynn Area Chamber of Commerce