While Norwich Free Academy offers students a variety of career opportunities, some still need assistance to be ready for the working world.
The M&T Charitable Foundation of M&T Bank recently gave $130,000 to support two more years of a New Capacities Job Developer at NFA. This program is in its second year, United Way of Southeastern Connecticut President and CEO Dina Sears-Graves said.
Job Developer Johanna Irizarry, a United Way employee based at the school, placed 17 students jobs into last year, she said.
“A lot of students need that extra support, not only with résumés, but with applications,” Irizarry said.
Currently, Irizarry works with 58 students, plus students from the school’s four career pipelines; the Youth Manufacturing Pipeline Initiative, the EMT pipeline, the certified nursing assistant pipeline, and the medical interpreter/certified nursing assistant pipeline, she said.
Work preparedness isn’t new for NFA. Before COVID, the school had a school to work program. New Capacities reinvigorated that effort since the pandemic, Career and Technical Education Head Linda Farinha said.
How the career pipeline works
NFA students spend their freshman and sophomore years exploring career possibilities, and their junior and senior years testing career decisions. Irizarry’s role helps NFA make connections to local businesses and work with the students, so they seamlessly move into a career, Farinha said.
Support for NFA students continues after graduation, as some employers, like Electric Boat, may require background checks and additional training before students can work, Irizarry said.
“I want to make sure they’re doing ok,” she said.
NFA senior Jacob Bastien got advice from Irizarry about his resume. Bastien said Irizarry was helpful and recommended other students work with Irizarry.
“If they don’t have an idea of what to do, they can always go and get advice so they can have an idea on what to do,” Bastien said.
More:Norwich Free Academy receives $60K state grant – how they’re using it to break down barriers
What are New Capacities?
New Capacities, which started in 2016, is a coalition of non-profits and businesses, along with community leaders and the Norwich city government. The program creates education and job opportunities for youth, including access to opportunities and preparing students for high-demand job sectors, Sears-Graves said.
“We keep hearing about this job growth in the area, but why weren’t people in Norwich getting those jobs,” she said.
The United Way conducts annual Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed, or ALICE, reports. These address families that earn more than the federal poverty level, but less than what’s needed to live in an area. The 2023 report, which looked at 2021 data, stated the cost of living for a family of four in Norwich was $96,852. The city’s median income is only $59,571, according to the United Way of Southeastern Connecticut’s website.
The study found half of Norwich households could not afford basic needs, the website stated.
The goal of New Capacities is to increase the percentage of financially stable households to 66% in 10 years, the website states.
Overcoming barriers
Barriers still need to be overcome to ensure success. One is transportation, as existing public transportation isn’t efficient enough for commuting to Electric Boat, Sears-Graves said.
Language is another barrier. Irizarry speaks both English and Spanish, so she can talk about career opportunities to students and families who only speak Spanish, Irizarry said.
Students who don’t speak English need to learn it, she said.
“I can help with building a resume and everything, but when they go to an interview, they need to know a moderate amount of English,” she said.
NFA offers English learning support, from classes to help from the Diversity Office, Irizarry said.
Irizarry also helps students with their immigration status, she said.
Other barriers include food security, home life and more, Sears Graves said.
“You have to work with the student as a whole,” she said.