On May 15, Urban Alliance Baltimore was invited to join Baltimore’s Promise in the launch of CareerBound, a new occupational skills training and career preparation initiative to help thousands of Baltimore’s youth build skills and embark on upwardly mobile careers.
More than 150 community leaders from government, nonprofits, universities, corporations, philanthropy, and youth leaders were in attendance. Chas Ackley, Executive Director of Urban Alliance Baltimore, was a featured speaker; Urban Alliance Baltimore is a partner in the new initiative and will provide skills training and paid work experiences.
Urban Alliance, a non-profit headquartered in Washington, D.C., is building a diverse next-generation workforce by providing job skills training, mentoring, pre-apprenticeships and paid internships to high school youth and young adults from underserved communities so that they may live a life of economic independence and upward mobility.
CareerBound was developed to offer new training and career opportunities in high-growth industries who may not be interested in pursuing a traditional four-year college immediately following high school. The initiative expects to serve 8,300 youth by 2030 and builds on the success of Grads2Careers, which launched in 2018, also as a partnership of Baltimore’s Promise, City Schools, and MOED.
A study conducted by the Baltimore Education Research Consortium showed that 26% of City Schools’ class of 2009 were not connected to either education or the workforce the fall after graduation. That same population was only making an average annual salary of $11,000 six years after graduation. Those findings illustrated the need for a broad career landscape for students who wanted to enter the workforce after high school graduation and move toward earning family-supporting wages.
“This is an exciting opportunity for Baltimore and Urban Alliance. The collective approach and coalition of employers is a reimagining of post-secondary opportunities. CareerBound’s vision is a uniting force for LEAS, Direct Service Providers, and employers to improve how we place a young person on a path to long term economic mobility,” states Ackley.
74% of Urban Alliance employer partners who serve as workplace mentors for its students recommend the students be hired into an entry level role. With more workplace partners, Urban Alliance can serve more students, providing them with the skills and access to resources to begin a career path.
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