Alumni Explore Diverse Pathways to Professional Success

With skyrocketing costs of college top of mind, students have often expressed a desire to explore how their education applies to the workforce and their future careers. The College Persistence team recently addressed some of those concerns with their Career Pathways Expo. The annual event connected students and alumni with free or low-cost programs that can prepare them with skills to jumpstart their careers. Reputed program providers helped debunk myths about apprenticeships and technical training programs, reviewed eligibility criteria, and offered support to help students discover work-based learning opportunities that align with their interests.

Logos of four companies City Year, Reel Works, NPower, and Brooklyn Workforce Innovations

We were thrilled to be joined by:

Gilbert Feliciano, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations
MIke Frisch, NPower
Mariam Shardow, Reel Works
Tyler Aitken, City Year

Pathways to Film, Technology, and Education Careers

Program presenters emphasized that no prior experience in technology, filmmaking, or education is required to apply to their programs. Their common goal is to teach the specific technical skills necessary and also provide additional support for life skills needed in any career.

Teens interested in film can check out Reel Works for free after-school programs that pair them with professional filmmaker-mentors to create original short documentaries, narratives, and experimental films.

For learning to work on a film set, Brooklyn Workforce Innovations’ Production Assistant Training Program offers technical training and job placement assistance. Unique to their program is a highly competitive scholarship for driving lessons to help obtain a driver’s license, as production assistant jobs require driving to transport equipment.

I thought I had no interest in education jobs when I started at City Year to support their after-school gardening activities. Eight years later I’m running their community partnerships and supporting Americorps Fellows for all of NYC!

– Tyler Aitken from City Year

For alumni interested in technology careers, NPower provides training and job placement counseling for entry-level tech support roles at a variety of corporations.Virtual classes are combined with monthly in-person community builders such as networking, speaker sessions, and site visits to potential employers.

Unique to City Year’s Americorps program is the option to work at a school full-time or choose to work part-time while still attending college. Participants commit to a year of service at a school to support enrichment activities, tutoring, or after-school programming. Those who complete their paid service year are eligible for an education award – free money to further their education or to pay off existing qualified student location expenses or educational travel!

Thank you to all program partners who shared their time and to students and alumni for their thoughtful questions. A special shout out to Nicole Meyer, Alumni Engagement Manager, for coordinating this opportunity for the Student Leadership Network community!

Learn more about our team’s work supporting college and career pathways: