Peirce College Receives United Way Grant to Develop Holistic Training Program

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 8, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Peirce College, a 152-year-old Philadelphia institution for working adults, has received its first grant from United Way of Greater Philadelphia and Southern New Jersey (UWGPSNJ) to develop a program that delivers work and life skills to improve the lives of the participants and their families for generations to come.

The $60,000 grant will support a 12-to-14 week workforce training program. Slated to launch in February 2018, the program will teach the skills under or unemployed individuals need to succeed in front-line, customer service roles in the non-clinical healthcare industry. Additionally, Peirce will partner with experts in financial literacy and human services to help participants build the economic assets and social networks they need to put their families on a path toward self-sufficiency and emotional well-being.

Plans for the Peirce program call for an inaugural class of 25-30 individuals over 18 years old with at least one child in their household. Everyone who completes the program will be presented interview opportunities in the healthcare industry, access to college credit, and guided pathways to degree completion.

"We are thrilled that United Way has provided us this support so we can expand our mission to help working adults of the Philadelphia region advance their lives and, by extension, their children's future," said Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Strategic Partnerships Uva Coles. "We view this grant as a vote of confidence as we continue to find new ways to support non-traditional learners on a mission of personal and professional development."

Jim Cawley, UWGPSNJ president and CEO, said the Peirce program fills a need in the Philadelphia workforce.

"Our United Way is committed to ending poverty by equipping adults with the critical skills they need to find jobs and thrive in the workplace," said Cawley. "It takes all of us working together to ensure everyone in our community has the supports and resources they need to put themselves and their families on paths to self-sufficiency, and we're grateful to have partners like Peirce College who are invested in helping our neighbors break the cycle of poverty."  

Largely championed by the Aspen Institute and other national thought leaders, this two-generation approach will work with each participant to improve his or her education, social network, health and finances. The participants will identify the needs of their families, such as transportation, housing or food security, to develop a life plan and work toward a set of family goals. Participants will be connected with parent resources and provided exposure to healthcare industry employment opportunities that provide sustaining wages that yield a positive, two-generation family impact.

"Research shows that parents' success is directly aligned with their children's success," Coles said. "If they are able to pursue higher education and to model strong financial practices and a healthy lifestyle, it's more likely that their children will follow in their footsteps."

More information about the program is available by contacting Malik Brown at [email protected] or 215.670.9056.

About Peirce College
Founded in 1865, Peirce College has been providing working adults with affordable education, flexible classes, and personalized support for more than 150 years. Peirce offers bachelor and associate degree programs in the areas of Business, Healthcare, Information Technology, and Legal Studies, and Master of Science degrees in Healthcare Administration and Organizational Leadership & Management. Located in the heart of Philadelphia, Peirce is a non-profit institution that specializes in serving the unique needs of working adults through both online and on campus education. In 2015, Peirce took life-friendly learning and degree attainment to the next level with the creation of Peirce Fit®, a revolutionary learning format that allows students to choose each week whether to attend class in person or online. Through competency-based education in Peirce's IT program, students may also choose a faster, more affordable path to a degree. Peirce College is accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education, 3624 Market St. Philadelphia, PA 19104 (267-284-5000). Additionally, select programs are accredited by The Accreditation Council for Business Schools and Programs, the American Bar Association and the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education.

For more information about Peirce College, call 888.467.3472, or visit www.Peirce.edu. Visit Peirce's blog, Peirce Connections, at http://blog.Peirce.edu. Become a fan of Peirce College on Facebook. Follow @PeirceCollege on Twitter. View the Peirce College YouTube Channel.

SOURCE Peirce College

Related Links

http://www.peirce.edu