New Program Gives Employment Opportunities to Pittsburgh Promise Students and Grants to Businesses

Pittsburgh Promise Scholarship students can be hired by businesses and the latter will receive grants ranging from $5, 000 to $10, 000 under a new program by the city councilman.

Pittsburgh City Councilman Corey O’Connor announced his plans to introduce legislation that would send $60, 000 city funds to the African American Chamber of Commerce to be distributed as grants. To increase that number, the chamber and the Greater Pittsburgh Chamber of Commerce will solicit matching funds from private organizations, reports Trib Live.

Under the terms of the program, for a company to be eligible for the grant it would need to hire a college graduate who was a recipient of the Pittsburgh Promise for full time employment and would need to retain him or her for at least six months. The business would then be qualified for a $2, 000 to $10, 000 grant after six months.

Not only will this encourage the hiring of local talent but also entice more people to stay in the city, says O’Connor. The goals and objectives are also being set up, shared the president and CEO of the African American Chamber of Commerce, Doris Williams.

This opportunity is in collaboration with the Pittsburgh Promise Scholarship and it is only one of its many endeavors to aid seven thousand students with their education and they have been doing so for 8 years now. The Pittsburgh Promise Scholarship relies mostly on the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center as well as private donations. 

The plan is likely to embolden students to stay within the city instead of going out in search for jobs, as well as boost employment in the area. Similarly, a pathways program in Vermont is making education cheaper and offering direct employment to not just students and graduates, but veterans as well, through the Build Vermont Pathways, reports Jobs & Hire.

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