FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
STC Newark Wins 2018 Impact100 Essex Grant
(Newark, NJ, January 17th, 2019): Tuesday night, Schools That Can Newark was awarded the 2018 Impact100 Essex grant. STC Newark will receive $120,000 to build out robust career and technical education that prepares youth for in-demand, middle-skill careers within their own communities.
“We are extremely honored and humbled to be selected as the recipient of the Impact100 Essex 2018 grant,” says Schools That Can Newark Executive Director, Erin Sweeney. “It is inspiring to know that over 100 women in our community believe so strongly in the power of career and technical education to change the lives of hundreds of Newark youth, and that they entrust STC Newark to push that work forward.”
STC Newark was selected as a finalist this past fall for its program, “Career Skills: Revitalizing the Education to Employment Pathway in Newark.” Only in its second year, Impact100 Essex invests in projects with high impact that address undermet needs in the community. Schools That Can Newark’s program addresses a growing crisis in Newark – students who graduate unprepared and unable to take advantage of middle-skills, high-paying jobs in their own community, perpetuating a cycle of poverty. Today, only 18% of Newark residents hold jobs within the city, the vast majority being minimum wage.
STC Newark’s work ensures that middle and high-skill positions do not go unfilled, and helps put Newark youth in a position to take on these roles. Specifically, the Career Skills Program helps schools respond to this crisis. Four years ago, Schools That Can partnered with West Side High School to launch a pilot program in advanced manufacturing with its first cohort set to graduate this spring.Support from Impact100 Essex will allow STC Newark to expand the program to Barringer and Weequahic High Schools in other in-demand industries. With the grant funds, Schools That Can Newark will hire a Career Skills Manager who will oversee the program’s expansion and citywide growth.
Schools That Can Newark is part of Schools That Can, a national network currently reaching more than 190 schools across 15 cities, serving more than 75,000 students, 81% of whom are eligible for free/reduced price lunch. Locally, Schools That Can Newark serves a network of over 30 district, charter, and independent schools, and is a leader in supporting career pathways for students. Schools That Can Newark is also the host site of the 2019 Schools That Can National Forum, a convening of education experts, thought leaders, and industry innovators who gather to explore promising innovations and powerful practices related to real-world learning.
About Schools That Can
Since starting with a small cluster of schools in 2005, Schools That Can (STC) has grown into the country’s largest cross-sector network of urban schools serving low-income communities. The network currently reaches more than 190 schools across 15 cities, serving more than 75,000 students. STC works with school leaders, teachers and students to reimagine education through real-world learning that closes the opportunity and skills gap. Innovative approaches fill a much-needed void to better prepare students for a rapidly changing future. By connecting leaders to powerful practices and models, developing teachers and engaging students, STC is poised to make an important difference in the lives of American youth.