Bank of America Charitable Foundation Awards $15,000 to the Montgomery College Foundation
The Montgomery College Foundation received a $15,000 grant from the Bank of America Charitable Foundation to support workforce development efforts. The grant will enable the College’s Workforce Development & Continuing Education division to continue offering the certificate for apartment maintenance technician (CAMT) training to Montgomery County low-income workers and connect them with employment opportunities.
The funding is one of 20 grants the Bank of America Charitable Foundation awarded to nonprofits in Greater Washington. The nonprofits awarded the grants are dedicated to shaping the lives of those in need in the Greater Washington area through workforce development, job training, employment opportunities and youth programming and education.
Since 2010, Montgomery College has offered the CAMT training, an industry-driven and recognized credential developed by the National Apartment Association Education Institute (NAAEI). NAAEI developed the training to address a critical national shortage of skilled apartment maintenance technicians and to provide a well-paying career with strong benefits and ample advancement opportunities.
Montgomery College has been applying the nationally-recognized Integrated Basic Education and Skills Training model (I-BEST) to the apartment maintenance technician course since 2012. I-BEST is an innovative educational approach that combines English language and basic skills instruction with vocational content to accelerate college and career success. Job seeking skills and supports are a key component of I-BEST.
“A total of 65 students have taken the Maryland I-BEST version of the certificate for apartment maintenance technician course over the past two years and the Bank of America Charitable Foundation’s grant will support the College’s efforts to train an additional 32 students,” said Dr. DeRionne Pollard, Montgomery College president. “We are so grateful for the foundation’s support and commitment to low-income residents in Montgomery County.”
The College works with area nonprofits to recruit students and with more than 10 employer partners who enhance the classroom training with guest lectures, field trips, and career fairs.“Montgomery College’s workforce development initiative is helping low-income individuals seeking good-paying jobs and economic security for their families,” said Jeff Wood, Greater Washington market president, Bank of America. “We are proud to support the College in helping these students succeed.”
Bank of America Corporate Social Responsibility
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About Montgomery College
Montgomery College is a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus workforce development/continuing education centers and off-site programs throughout Montgomery County, Md. The College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 130 areas of study.
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