PHILADELPHIA – Peirce College, Philadelphia’s only institution of higher learning dedicated exclusively to serving adults, has received a grant from Bank of America to support Career Bridge to accelerate the region’s equitable recovery.

Bank of America awarded a $25,000 grant to support Peirce College’s new Career Bridge program, which helps displaced workers navigate career change by acquiring the skills, certifications and credentials needed for jobs that pay family-sustaining wages and providing guidance and support to help find employment opportunities.

“This grant from Bank of America will help workers align their existing skills with their post-secondary education to advance their careers through our innovative program,” said Dr. Mary Ellen Caro, president & CEO of Peirce College. “Career Bridge is like a GPS for navigating career change, and we believe it will address the gaps that have typically resulted in many displaced workers being left behind. We are grateful for Bank of America’s support.”

The program, which also serves veterans, military spouses and other career changers, blends Peirce courses, industry-recognized certifications, skills mapping and prior learning assessment opportunities with career-integrated advising and counseling to create short, stackable tracks that validate students possess the skills and credentials required by employers for jobs with projected growth. The program will also guide students to sustainable employment opportunities.

Career Bridge tracks can be completed in as little as six-to-nine months and prepare students for jobs in medical coding, information technology, cybersecurity, project management, financial/business operations, and sales/client service.

The grant is part of Bank of America's $1.25 billion, five-year commitment to help advance racial equality and economic opportunity in communities across the nation. To date, the company has made more than $350 million in various investments from the initial $1 billion four-year commitment, announced in June 2020, across its primary focus areas of health, jobs/reskilling, affordable housing and small business. Additional funds announced in March 2021 further support investments to address racial justice, advocacy and equality for people and communities of color, including those of Asian descent.

“Peirce College is advancing economic opportunity in our community through the Career Bridge program, which provides key workforce development opportunities for those displaced from their work,” said Jim Dever, President of Bank of America Greater Philadelphia. “We look forward to seeing the impact of this program on our region’s economic recovery and its workforce for years to come.”

About Peirce College

Established in 1865, Peirce College is Philadelphia’s only institution of higher education dedicated exclusively to serving adults. A private, nonprofit college, Peirce is a pioneer in online education and a regional leader in the assessment of prior learning. Today, Peirce continues its tradition of serving the unique needs of working adults through stackable, career-focused programs at the undergraduate and graduate level that provide students with academic excellence, flexibility, and personalized support. Learn more at www.peirce.edu.

About Bank of America
At Bank of America, we’re guided by a common purpose to help make financial lives better, through the power of every connection. We’re delivering on this through responsible growth with a focus on our environmental, social and governance (ESG) leadership. ESG is embedded across our eight lines of business and reflects how we help fuel the global economy, build trust and credibility, and represent a company that people want to work for, invest in and do business with. It’s demonstrated in the inclusive and supportive workplace we create for our employees, the responsible products and services we offer our clients, and the impact we make around the world in helping local economies thrive. An important part of this work is forming strong partnerships with nonprofits and advocacy groups, such as community, consumer and environmental organizations, to bring together our collective networks and expertise to achieve greater impact. Learn more at about.bankofamerica.com, and connect with us on Twitter (@BofA_News).

For more Bank of America news, including dividend announcements and other important information, visit the Bank of America newsroom and register for news email alerts. 

www.bankofamerica.com

Media contact:

Joe Guzzardo, Peirce College
609.439.7433
jguzzardo@peirce.edu