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Written by Opportunity Texas
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May 23, 2011 - 09:30 AM |
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With a long history of helping to change lives through the power of work, Goodwill Industries of San Antonio keeps its eye on the future through its Good Careers Academies, an innovative and effective path towards employment.
In 2009, after months of discussions between Goodwill representatives and members of the business community in San Antonio, the first campus of the Good Careers Academy opened, utilizing space inside of a Goodwill store. In addition to housing the Good Careers Academy, this Goodwill store also hosts a VITA site and Goodwill’s generations federal credit union branch. Including multiple services enables Goodwill’s members (the people they serve) to maximize access and awareness of these opportunities.
Good Careers Academy offers a comprehensive and unique experience to each student seeking professional job training. The curriculum and professors are provided by the Alamo Colleges (equivalent to what you would find on their many campuses), which has earned “strategic partner” status with Goodwill. Business community outreach helped Goodwill determine which high-demand industry trainings would be offered, including Pharmacy Technician, Computer Support Specialist, and Medical Certifications. Before any job training begins, each individual is assessed to determine skills, interests, and prerequisite courses and then is matched with appropriate training. During the training, employers meet with students to begin forming relationships and advancing employment opportunities, including internships during students’ course of study.
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Written by Opportunity Texas
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May 04, 2011 - 10:11 AM |
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In September 2006, a diverse coalition of San Franciscans launched a first-in-the-nation effort to bank the unbanked. City leaders, including the Mayor and City Treasurer, non-profit organizations, the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and 15 banks and credit unions joined forces to bring 10,000 unbanked or underbanked households into the financial mainstream. The results were remarkable. Not only did Bank On San Francisco exceed its own ambitious goals, it started a national movement. At the start of 2011, fully implemented “Bank On” Initiatives existed in 32 cities, 4 states and 2 regions, with close to 100 programs recently launched or pending.
In 2008, the National League of Cities began supporting “Bank On” initiatives around the country, providing technical assistance and a national platform for programs to share experiences. Although the initiative has bipartisan appeal and appears straightforward, organizers must navigate many moving parts. More established campaigns have invaluable lessons to share with emerging ones, and it is in this spirit that the National League of Cities has published the tool-kit, Bank On Cities: Connecting Residents to the Financial Mainstream, a step-by-step guide for municipal leaders, community organizers, financial institutions and others who wish to get involved to develop successful “Bank On” programs in their communities.
Outlined below are 7 core components identified as keys to building a better Bank-On highlighted in the “Bank On” tool-kit and in New America Foundation’s report, Building Better Bank Ons:
- Engage the Mayor and/or other prominent local officials to champion and raise awareness around the issue and bring financial institutions to the table.
- Bring key stakeholders to the table early in the planning stages.
- Create strong partnerships among all players (Community organizations, financial institutions, city government, etc.) and have partners collaboratively design the initiative. Financial institutions must be engaged early on in developing an account that they can sustainably offer and which meets the needs of unbanked individuals.
- Identify a data collection and tracking strategy early on and provide recommendations to financial institutions on how to best code and track customers. The ability to measure impact is vital to continued involvement of partners and funding.
- Establish successful partnerships with financial institutions through clear policies, regular communication with staff at all levels of the institutions and through regular financial institution staff training requirements.
- Don’t “reinvent the wheel” – Do use the resources and expertise available (National League of Cities, the FDIC, the Federal Reserve and other cities, just to name a few).
- Incorporate the initiative into a larger community asset-building agenda to help families achieve long term financial security.
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