First Cohort of First-Ever Expanded Learning Apprentices Celebrate Graduation

This two-year program is the first-of-its-kind in the State of California in the Expanded Learning/Afterschool education field where participants work part-time while earning college credits. They receive paid work and professional development training with Girls Inc. of Alameda County while also receiving focused support in free college courses through Berkeley City College with potential to earn up to 48 transferable units, a Certificate of Proficiency in Education, and an option to pursue an AA Degree.

Dr. Denise Richardson, President of Berkeley City College, spoke at the ceremony, stating Apprenticeship programs like these “are the catalysts of change we need,” referring to the countless benefits Apprenticeship programs can bring to participants, as well as the youth they serve and their communities, including:

• Relieving participants of the burden of choosing between work and attending school
• Addressing a workforce shortage in critical afterschool programs that foster positive relationships, create safe environments, and facilitate engaging and intentional activities for youth
• Staffing afterschool programs with people of color who reflect the youth they serve and share their experiences
• Investing in the professional development and mobility of individuals from under resourced communities who then invest their work experience back into those communities
• Providing a network of support from fellow apprentices, their employer, and their educators that also considers housing instability, childcare, food insecurity and more

Mia Robles, one of our Apprentices graduating with her AA, also spoke at the ceremony, sharing how the program—specifically working with youth at Girls Inc. of Alameda County—has been incredibly rewarding and has enabled her to rediscover the spark she thought she had lost.

Mia Robles and loves ones