A sea of Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) graduates gathered beneath the commencement tent this spring as president Pam Eddinger offered a frank farewell: “While life can be harsh, it is also limitless and ever-renewing….I have learned to hope and
Academia & apprenticeship: A double dose of opportunity
Last spring Mykelsy Charles, 23, was considering leaving her job as a university dining hall supervisor to enter the BEST hospitality pre-apprenticeship program. Her friends warned her that housekeeping was physically demanding work. “When everyone said, ‘Don’t do it, don’t
Boston’s apprenticeship initiatives highlighted as models of equity-building
Next City disseminates nonprofit journalism on municipal best practices in social, economic, and environmental change. On June 28, the organization highlighted two Boston programs – the Greater Boston American Apprenticeship Initiative and Mayor Martin Walsh’s youth re-entry initiative, Operation Exit – as successful examples of
High enrollment & graduation rates distinguish apprenticeship initiative’s first year
In October of last year, Mayor Martin Walsh announced the creation of the Greater Boston American Apprenticeship Initiative (GBAAI) – a comprehensive apprenticeship program designed to prepare residents for careers in the fast-growing hospitality and construction industries. “We want to provide a pipeline to better-paying jobs with benefits,”
BEST Corp Graduates First Class of Hospitality Pre-Apprenticeship Program
Just a few months ago, the graduates of BEST Corp’s first hospitality pre-apprenticeship program were strangers with one thing in common: They all knew they wanted more. Nicole Bowes had just moved back to Boston after 20 years away and
$3M Grant Launches Apprenticeship Initiative
A new, wide-reaching apprenticeship program has launched this fall thanks to a $3 million federal American Apprenticeship grant. The grant proposal was spearheaded by the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development (OWD) and secured with the help of its program partners.