Boosting Career Pathways and Opportunities for Community College Students throughout Greater Boston
Bunker Hill Community College and JPMorgan Chase Collaborating to Increase Student Career Success through $500,000 Investment
Thursday, October 14, 2021
October 14, 2021 - Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) announced the growth of its Career Pathways Impact Project (CPIP), which addresses the career counseling needs of community college students. The second phase of CPIP builds a new structure of career support at BHCC that incorporates a holistic review of advising, career preparation, and job placement support. In addition, the project focuses on employer input and integration with current college systems to better enhance the student and employer experience. To support CPIP 2.0, JPMorgan Chase is investing an additional $250,000 in BHCC, building on a 2020 grant of the same amount to pilot the initiative.
"In our first two years of the project, we have more than tripled our original goal of working with 200 students," said Kristen McKenna, BHCC Dean of Workforce and Economic Development. "In the second round of funding, we will increase our capacity to career counsel students and expand programming that helps prepare students for the world of work."
To establish a baseline of student and service needs in the first year, the BHCC Workforce and Economic Development Division, with support from the Harvard Project of Workforce research and fellowship program, conducted interviews with more than 75 students, over 30 faculty and staff, 15 employer partners, alumni focus groups and six partner institutions. The research also included 287 assessments from students receiving career counseling from BHCC,
The project's overarching goal is to prepare students for equitable workforce entry and success by making career planning an integral part of the student experience. CPIP's role in the "Ethnography of Work" (EoW) expansion focuses on faculty training, direct faculty/student support, and solidifying an administrative structure to enable long-term growth. Ethnographies of Work originated at Guttmann Community College, which is part of the City University of New York public college system, as a year-long social science course and adapted for community colleges and high schools nationwide.
“Bunker Hill Community College is one of the most powerful institutions in Massachusetts and is committed to helping their students, and all community college students, obtain the education, skills, and experiences necessary to succeed in the labor market,” said Rafia Zahir-Uddin, Vice President, global philanthropy, New England, JPMorgan Chase. “We are thrilled to continue our investment in this program and enable more BHCC students to access high-wage, in-demand jobs.”
In addition, CPIP 2.0 will deepen connections to the local labor market through increased and leveled employer and community-based organization partnerships, including employer and alumni advisory engagement opportunities.
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About Bunker Hill Community College
With more than 50 years of academic excellence, Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is Massachusetts' largest community college, annually welcoming a diverse community of around 16,000 students. With campuses in Charlestown and Chelsea, BHCC extends its reach across several locations in Greater Boston. The College offers associate degrees and certificates, early college and dual enrollment, community education, corporate training, and industry-specific training programs. BHCC is celebrated for its diversity, boasting a student body where 65% identify as people of color and more than half are women. The College also embraces a global perspective, with over 600 international students representing 90 countries and conversing in more than 65 languages. Our commitment to diversity is further reflected in BHCC's designation as a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) and an Asian American Native American Pacific Islander Serving Institution (AANAPISI).