Page 15 - Florida Sentinel 12-4-20

State
Bank Of America Gives Florida A&M University $1 Million For Jobs Initiative
$25 Million National Program Sup- ports Programming, Re-skilling, and Upskilling for Students of Color; In- cludes Partnerships with Major Em- ployers and The Aspen Institute
TALLAHASSEE — Florida A&M University (FAMU) and Bank of Amer- ica announced Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, a new $1 million jobs initiative partnership to help students of color successfully complete the education and training necessary to enter the workforce and embark on a path to suc- cess in Tallahassee.
This initiative builds on Bank of America’s ongoing work in Tallahassee to address the underlying issues facing individuals and communities of color who have been disproportionately im- pacted by the current health crisis.
“Creating job opportunities through skills development is one of the most
Florida A&M University (FAMU)
fundamental ways to advance racial equality and economic opportunity in our community and address the wealth gap in our country,” said David Hulse, Tallahassee market president, Bank of America.
This year, the bank provided $87,000 in grants to nonprofits that are
connecting individuals to skills and em- ployment in Tallahassee. The initiative is part of the bank’s recent $1 billion, four-year commitment to advance racial equality and economic opportu- nity, and its $25 million commitment to enhance up-skilling and reskilling for Black/African American and Hispanic- Latino individuals.
Along with FAMU, the $25 million, nationwide initiative includes partner- ships with nearly two dozen community colleges that serve predominantly Black/African American and Hispanic- Latino students, public historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and public Hispanic.
FAMU President Larry Robin- son, Ph.D., expressed his appreciation for the Bank of America partnership ini- tiative, stating that is well-timed and needed.
“This partnership addresses one of
the most fundamental issues facing our students – ensuring they have the fi- nancial resources to capitalize on edu- cational opportunities that prepare them for high-demand job opportuni- ties in a constantly evolving world,” Robinson said. “This partnership will also help us improve students’ retention and graduation rates, as limited fi- nances are too often the stumbling block for many of our otherwise ex- tremely talented students.”
“We are proud to join Bank of America in their jobs initiative to ex- pand career opportunities in Tallahas- see and further enhance our partnership with FAMU,” said Tallahas- see Mayor John Dailey. “This initia- tive will provide the training and resources necessary as we further our commitment to cultivating and retain- ing talent right here in Florida’s capital city.”
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