Bloomberg Philanthropies today announced $25 million in funding for career and technical education programs in nine cities and across two states.
Baltimore is one of the nine cities to receive funding.
The nonprofit organization Baltimore’s Promise will receive nearly $4 million to grow their Grads2Careers (G2C) program.
The program helps Baltimore City Public Schools graduates who are not planning to enter college full-time within the next year find jobs in growing industries.
G2C is a partnership between City schools, the Mayor’s Office of Employment Development, and Baltimore’s Promise.
“Grads2Careers is an opportunity to reimagine what post-secondary success can look like in Baltimore City,” Dr. Sonja Santelises, CEO of Baltimore City Public Schools, said in a statement.
The other cities to receive funding include Atlanta, Birmingham, Camden, Charlotte, Denver, Louisville, Providence, and Washington D.C.
Funding will also be distributed across Delaware and Texas.
The grant aims to help young people recover from the financial and educational setbacks of COVID-19.
It is intended to expand employment options for students who are not heading directly towards a four-year college degree.
The $25 million will go towards two types of programs: apprentice-style programs based within businesses and workforce training programs at high schools and other training providers.
The two types of programs will each receive $12.5 million.
“This initiative, and Bloomberg Philanthropies’ substantial investment in this important work, has built the foundation for a critical pathway between education and workforce systems that ensures that our City Schools graduates do not fall through the cracks in the transition from high school to the world of work,” said Dr. Santelises.
