{"id":9114,"date":"2021-08-27T10:58:53","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T14:58:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/?p=9114"},"modified":"2024-12-16T17:00:35","modified_gmt":"2024-12-16T22:00:35","slug":"professional-skills-academy-advancing-career-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.goodwin.edu\/enews\/professional-skills-academy-advancing-career-prospects\/","title":{"rendered":"Professional Skills Academy: Advancing Careers for the East Hartford Community"},"content":{"rendered":"

Professional Skills Academy:<\/strong>
\nAdvancing Careers for the East Hartford Community<\/strong><\/p>\n

The history of how it all started <\/strong><\/p>\n

The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, commonly called the Boston Fed, is responsible for the first of 12 districts in the Federal Reserve, otherwise known as the United States central banking system.<\/p>\n

The first district of the Federal Reserve covers New England \u2014 Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont, and all of Connecticut except Fairfield County.<\/p>\n

In 2009, the Boston Fed released a study that examined the region\u2019s employment, why some cities were prospering, and why others were not. The study concluded that thriving communities possessed leadership and collaboration.<\/p>\n

Following the study\u2019s findings, the Working Cities Challenge grant program was created to help low and middle-income residents find employment and engage in their community.<\/p>\n

The grant program began in Connecticut in 2018, serving Danbury, East Hartford, Hartford, Middletown, and Waterbury.<\/p>\n

East Hartford\u2019s program is called\u00a0East Hartford CONNects<\/a>, and its services are available to the entire town (Condon, 2021).<\/strong><\/p>\n

The heart of East Hartford <\/strong><\/p>\n

East Hartford is a diverse community with 53 languages spoken in the school district. Forty-eight percent of East Hartford\u2019s student population is Hispanic, with more than 30% of family households led by single women.<\/p>\n

The median income for East Hartford is $50,000 annually, yet for historically excluded populations, the yearly median income is $16,000 less than the remainder of the town (East Hartford CONNects, n.d.).<\/p>\n

With the COVID-19 pandemic exposing ongoing racial disparities in criminal justice<\/a>, employment, healthcare, housing, and wealth, the realities of the everyday struggles that many East Hartford residents face were further revealed this past year.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur focus is to reduce the achievement and earning gap for families in East Hartford, but we are particularly focused on communities of color,\u201d Amy Peltier, Director of East Hartford CONNects, explained (Condon, 2021).<\/strong><\/p>\n

EH CONNects <\/strong><\/p>\n

With a mission to employ, educate, and engage, East Hartford CONNects stands by its purpose to create a career development culture within the East Hartford community. Intending to increase wealth for 10% of households earning below $50,000, enrolled learners are encouraged to participate in district planning, decision-making, and leadership opportunities (East Hartford CONNects, n.d.).<\/p>\n

Throughout the pandemic, EH CONNects has:<\/p>\n