Welcome to our Second Cohort of Expanded Learning Apprentices!
Join us in welcoming our second cohort of Expanded Learning Apprentices! Fifteen new apprentices joined this two-year, first-of-its-kind program in California in the Expanded Learning/Afterschool sector. The program’s earn-and-learn structure provides the opportunity to start or advance a career in Expanded Learning/Afterschool Programs through paid work and professional development training with Girls Inc. of Alameda County and simultaneous focused support and free college courses through Berkeley City College. Candidates have the potential to earn up to 48 transferable units, a Child Development Permit, and an option to pursue an Associate Degree.
At the event, Partnership for Children and Youth’s Co-CEO, Aleah Rosario, addressed existing inequities in the Afterschool workforce. Program staff in California are over 60% Millennial, over 60% female, and over 79% identify as people of color. Despite the statistics, racial and gender biases stifle career advancement and equal pay for young women of color in this space, even in cases where they have comparable or higher credentials than their competition (Rosario, 2019).
“Workplace models to advance women and girls of color through practices like mentoring, coaching, and peer support programs, combined with equity in hiring and promoting qualified personnel, are essential to quality, sustainable programming for both Afterschool program staff and the youth they serve,” stated Rosario.
“We are actively recruiting young people of color into our program, and recruiting on platforms and in areas that are accessible to a diverse applicant base, which is one way we exercise equity,” explains kourtney andrada, Girls Inc. of Alameda County’s Senior Director of School-Based Programs, who also co-chaired the Workforce Strategy Committee that informed the inception and development of this Expanded Learning Apprenticeship.
“The nature of the earn-and-learn model, itself, is inherently equitable by taking away the pressure to choose between earning money or attending postsecondary education for those who often have to make that difficult choice,” Rosario added. “Girls Inc. of Alameda County has the infrastructure and the mindset to invest in and uplift young women of color in this Apprenticeship so they can best care for the youth in this community.”
Research shows that Afterschool programs are key to providing young people with exposure to mentors and new ideas, skill-building opportunities, relationships, and social capital in safe, supportive environments. These programs are a critical support system for youth from under-resourced communities—and their families—who have been disproportionately impacted by long-standing systemic inequities throughout history.
Join in the impact! If you have interest in starting or advancing your career in Expanded Learning and/or Afterschool Programs and would like to sign up for an information session, visit Girls Inc. Of Alameda County’s Expanded Learning Apprenticeship Page.