The 2016-2017 Neighborhood Jobs Trust Impact Report, released yesterday by the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development, shows that more than 2,300 Boston residents took advantage of job training and education opportunities made possible by the Trust. The Neighborhood Jobs Trust (NJT) collects linkage fees from large-scale commercial developments in the City of Boston to support jobs and job training for residents.
Over 2016-2017, NJT funded educational projects designed to spur economic mobility, such as specialized English language instruction through English for New Bostonians and free community college through the Tuition-Free Community College Plan. NJT also awarded grants to job training programs through an open request for proposals (RFP). These 17 grantee programs trained residents for careers in such industries as banking/finance, hospitality, healthcare administration, and human services. After job placement, graduates of these training programs earned an average wage of $15.23 per hour with 72% earning benefits as well.
Krsna Clark, 20, trained in an NJT-funded locksmithing program at North Bennet Street School. Clark, who had formerly dropped out of high school, landed a job in a locksmith’s shop even before completing the 9-month program.
“I get in my zone,” Clark said. “Someone said to me once, ‘When you’re working on the bench, I can see the fire coming out of you.’ This program changed my life.”
Read the press release to learn more about the release of the latest 2016-2017 Neighborhood Jobs Trust Impact Report. Or read the full report.