Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Neighborhood Jobs Trust has dedicated $2.4 million to emergency supports for workforce and education programs, as well as specialized job training for workers preparing to enter the IT/tech industry.
“Supporting our students, workers, and community-based organizations that are re-training our workforce to be ready for the economy post-COVID-19 is crucial for Boston’s equitable, long-term recovery,” said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. “Leveraging funding from new development to invest in job training and job placement was our priority before COVID-19, and it will continue to be a priority so that all of residents have opportunities to succeed.”
The NJT disbursements include:
- Emergency support to nonprofits that address such pressing needs as the retraining of laid-off hospitality workers and virtual learning support for ESOL students.
- An emergency fund to help Tuition Free Community College Plan students surmount financial and educational challenges to complete their spring semester.
- Level funding for community-based organizations to ensure they can continue to serve the City’s growing number of job-seekers.
- Grants to organizations that will train residents for careers in the tech sector, Boston’s second largest industry.
“This funding from the Neighborhood Jobs Trust will provide the opportunity to train more Black and Brown young adults as full stack software developers and connect them with tech jobs in which the average starting salary of our last class was $98,200,” said David Delmar, executive director of Resilient Coders, which received a tech training grant. “The Trust’s funding will significantly impact the lives of Black and Brown men and women and their families, and help reduce Boston’s income inequality.”