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Commonpoint Queens Supports Youth Disconnected From School and Work Through Advance & Earn Program

alex advance and earn

Commonpoint Queens has partnered with the Department of Youth and Community Development (DYCD) Workforce Connect to offer a unique opportunity for young adults. The Advance & Earn program began in Spring 2020 to support 16-24 year olds in New York City who are not currently working or attending school.

According to the 2015 Young Adult Literacy Program-Center for Economic Opportunity report, “one in five youth between the ages of 16 to 24 in New York City is disconnected from the worlds of school and work.” Advance & Earn works with students who should be on the path to higher education or work, but have somehow fallen through the cracks. The program offers pre-HSE literacy and math instruction, HSE test preparation, career readiness classes, college access and application assistance, advanced certificate training in high-growth fields such as allied health, culinary arts, and Information Technology, paid internships, career counseling, and mental health services.

“I did an internship in the medical field where I received my CNA certificate at Access Institute and that’s helped me out to this day as far as finding jobs and taking new internships that rely on my interests,” said Alex (19), who received his HSE and numerous internships thanks to the Advance and Earn program.

Applications are now open for the fall Advance & Earn cohort. This program requires a six month commitment and is open to all 16-24 year olds not employed or in school who are residents of and legally authorized to work in New York City.

For more information please visit www.commonpointqueens.org/advance or contact Evelyn Herrera, Director of Advance & Earn, at eherrera@commonpointqueens.org.

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More About Commonpoint Queens

Commonpoint Queens is a social services organization that meets the diverse and evolving needs in the borough of Queens —a place where people of all ages and backgrounds come together to find support, access opportunities, and build connections to the community throughout their lives.