Florida State College at Jacksonville and Bank of America announced Dec. 11 a $1 million jobs initiative partnership to help students of color complete the education and training necessary to enter the Jacksonville workforce.
“The College will focus on our proactive work with school districts, community partners and industry leaders to support diverse talent pipelines. We will also be able to enhance our programming that quickly prepares students to enter high-need, high-wage jobs,” said FSCJ President John Avendano in a news release.
“We fully recognize that jobs are a critical pillar to address the racial wealth gap in Jacksonville, and we’re focused on supporting local Black/African American and Hispanic-Latino students in the community by partnering with Florida State College at Jacksonville,” said Greg Smith, Jacksonville market president for Bank of America, in the release.
“This program’s initiative builds on Bank of America’s long standing efforts to advance economic mobility with a hyper-targeted focus on education and workforce training.”
Bank of America will work with JAX Chamber to ensure the programs target specific hiring needs and create a pathway to employment.
In 2020, the bank provided $190,000 in grants to nonprofits that are connecting people to skills and employment in Jacksonville. The initiative is part of the bank’s recent $1 billion, four-year commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportunity, and its $25 million commitment to enhance skill development for Black/African American and Hispanic-Latino individuals.
Including FSCJ, the $25 million, nationwide initiative includes partnerships with nearly two dozen community colleges.
Bank of America also is partnering with and providing funding to the Aspen Institute to convene the participating higher education institutions for technical and programmatic assistance and to share best practices.