Bank of America Helps Boost Job Skill Sets for Students in Time for Summer

July 2, 2014 (Jamaica Plain, MA) – Bank of America and the Boston Private Business Council (PIC) recently hosted an ongoing financial education orientation for nearly 330 students from more than two dozen Boston Public Schools as a crucial step toward making the best use of the wages they will receive from their summer job placements. The orientation, delivered by Bank of America employees, included a specialized focus on budgeting and paying for college.

A team of career specialists and employer account managers comprises PIC’s School-to-Career initiative. Several Bank of America employees participated in this venture from Wednesday June 24th through Friday, June 26th at PIC’s School-to-Career office in Jamaica Plain. Students from 26 local schools, including Boston Latin Academy, Boston Green Academy and Excel High School, attended classes which emphasized the importance of financial intelligence. One class dissected the concept of a “budget,” while in another class, students and employees tackled the cost of college and the basics of applying for financial aid. 

PIC is part of a three-decade-long effort to connect downtown Boston to its surrounding neighborhoods. The nonprofit’s mission is to seek and guide Boston youth and adults wherever they find themselves on the school-to-career continuum. Every year, the organization connects more than 3,000 teenagers with summer jobs and school year internships.

Despite the apparent benefits of early work experience, youth employment rates nationwide are currently half of what they were in the year 2000. Consequences surrounding the competitiveness of a future workforce could have a profound effect on job seekers. According to PIC Executive Director Neil Sullivan, partnerships, including those between PIC and private industry, are an important component to the organization’s success in terms of transitioning teenagers into meaningful internships. “Our work is grounded in the belief that meaningful employment changes lives, lifts people out of poverty and strengthens the local economy. To make things happen, we depend on a community of collaborators willing to offer their time, their resources, and their affiliation.”

Bank of America’s Massachusetts president Bob Gallery says his company tries to go the extra mile when it comes to providing job opportunities for students. “We partner with PIC to sponsor nearly 100 paid jobs for Boston Public High School students in community based organizations. These jobs can mean a world of difference and pay dividends down the road.”