Bidwell Training Center

#UcanB continues to serve as the organization’s flagship program. Over 100 local businesses, non-profits, schools and government agencies participated in this year’s #UcanB Program. Our partners at US Probation & Pretrial Services continued to speak with our students about Careers in Criminal Justice; and this year the US Probation team expanded its scope of service to include presentations on Internet Safety, Keeping a Clean Criminal Record and more. The staff at UPMC deployed speakers into our classrooms: a nurse visited students to discuss the Realities of Direct Care, and a member of the executive team gave a Corporate Overview of a Large Health System. Students and staff from schools such as Penn State University, The University of Pittsburgh, Bidwell Training Center, Point Park University and New Century Careers all spoke with and met with #UcanB students to share information on higher education options. Western Pa’s Trade Unions and Apprenticeship Programs all got involved this year as representatives from the electrician’s, carpenter’s, sheet metal worker’s, laborer’s, heavy equipment operators’, iron worker’s and painter’s unions all visited #UcanB students! Local school district’s embraced the #UcanB Program like never before. PA Department of Education’s passing of the Career Education & Work Readiness (CEW) Standards required schools to provide intensive career services. Many of the school systems had never provided career courses. #UcanB’s existing school partners helped fine-tune services provided specifically to 8th and 11th grade students as these are targeted age groups for the CEW standards. Hopewell, Shaler and Pittsburgh Public Schools put together schedules for ALL 8th grade students to participate in #UcanB’s Career Portfolio and Career Assessment classes. Sto-Rox High School, Carlynton High School and Clayton Academy partnered with #UcanB to organize Hiring Events and Career Fairs to meet the employment needs of upperclassmen in the high schools. Springdale High School partnered with #UcanB to create a Lunch ‘n’ Learn series for 11th grade students. #UcanB greatly increased the number of service hours provided to many of its existing school districts, but still managed to forge new partnerships with schools in the Chartiers Valley, Springdale and Pittsburgh Public School districts. In addition, #UcanB has initiated plans to expand into the following areas this coming school year: Pittsburgh’s Hill District, East Liberty, Northgate, Pittsburgh’s Allderdice High School, CAPA and Avalon High School. Workforce Development Program Summary While #UcanB met the needs of dozens of school districts and thousands of local students, Building Bridges’ Workforce Development Team continued to provide employment and training opportunities to the community at-large. The Workforce Team expanded its efforts with State Representative Dan Deasy to provide job placement to residents of Pittsburgh’s West End communities. Workforce Development also continued its partnership with US Probation & Pretrial Services of Western PA to help serve the needs of men and women returning home from prison to Pittsburgh neighborhoods. The year concluded for Building Bridges for Business’ Workforce Development Program with two days of pre-release employment seminars at the Bureau of Prisons location in Morgantown, WV. The Pittsburgh Business Community supported workforce development activities in a similar fashion to the support it provided to #UcanB. Businesses and organizations, large and small, joined Building Bridges for Career and Hiring Events in Beechview, West End, West View and Northside. I.B.E.W. Local 5, The Builders Guild of Western PA, Allegheny County Sheriffs, Pittsburgh Police, FedEx and IBEX Global were among the employers who interviewed candidates at bi-weekly meetings hosted by Rep. Deasy. Fifty local non-profits joined US Probation and Building Bridges at this year’s Community Resource Fair hosted by the US District Court of Western PA. Vocational Schools such as Brightwood Career Institute, Career Training Academy and Bidwell Training Center opened their doors for tours and open houses. Small neighborhood employers such as 5 Generation Bakers, Cellone’s Bakery, ACE Wire Spring & Form Co., Neena’s Daycare and Bosetti Landscaping sent job vacancies to Building Bridges for Business to be shared with neighborhood residents. Workforce Development, like #UcanB, was selective in its use of time and resources. It was important for Workforce Development to continue its work with State Representative Dan Deasy and with the US Probation Office as both of these entities are also great supporters of the #UcanB Career Education Program. The Workforce Development Team also believed in the importance of its partnership with the Bureau of Prisons because of the ongoing, unfortunate relationships between adults serving time and the youth who participate in #UcanB. These three partnerships remained the focus for Building Bridges for Business’ Workforce Development Department. Still, Workforce Development was able to forge new partnerships and organize events with State Representative Adam Ravenstahl and State Senator Wayne Fontana as...

UcanB has wrapped up a successful 2016-2017 school year. This year alone, the program incorporated many new schools in addition to the many schools the program has already impacted. The UcanB program differs from most scholastic programs due to the broad range of real-life topics that are taught. The program taught varying topics that the students would otherwise not be exposed to. The topics that the UcanB program brings to these schools vary from technology training all the way to entrepreneurship. The goal is essentially to expose the students to things they might be interested in taking as a career path, or even study in school. The program also recognized that many students don’t end up going onto college, and through the UcanB Career Opportunity Fairs, they have a chance to be offered a full time job on the spot. This year, the program changed the lives and paths of many students who never planned on going to college or doing anything after high school. For example, an 11th grade Propel student said, “The UcanB teacher told me that there are many jobs out there and getting a college degree isn’t the only path. Loving what you do for an occupation is #1. They really helped me.” Due to the positive impact the UcanB program has made in the community thus far, they are planning to add even more topics and assemblies to further the knowledge of the working world to the students. Some of those topics will include ways in which to dress for a job interview or what to wear to a professional workplace. These topics will be taught in a way that is engaging, motivational, and relatable to the students. There might even be a prize for exceptional students. The UcanB program has had an exceptional school year and now looks forward to starting their summer...

Today’s episode of Coffee With focuses on careers, specifically career building and training. Joining our discussion is Mrs. Valerie Njie, the Executive Director and Senior Vice President of Bidwell Training Center (BTC). Bidwell Training Center is a non-profit career training school that has been changing people’s lives since 1968. At Bidwell, Mrs. Njie is part of an amazing organization that equips students with superb skills that can lead them to meaningful employment and empower them to become more confident, productive, and professional. Bidwell Training Center has almost 50 years of experience providing top-of-the-line career training and consistently attracts national attention for their innovative training programs. Beyond that, Bidwell Training Center is accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges and is a member of over 10 national and regional professional organizations. The majors offered at BTC provide learners with the hands-on skillsets they need to be prepared and competitive in the marketplace. Mrs. Njie has committed decades towards serving the Pittsburgh community and enriching the lives of others. In 2014, she was elected to serve as School Commissioner by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges (ACCSC). Mrs. Njie has been one of the ACCSC’s most active volunteers, and was selected as Volunteer of the Year in 2009. Beyond that, she has been honored with the 2009 Duquesne Light African American Leadership Award for Education as well as a 2006 Women of Influence designation from the New Pittsburgh Courier. Mrs. Njie’s outstanding dedication to the Pittsburgh community was most recently recognized in 2015 when she received the University of Pittsburgh’s Volunteer Excellence Award. The award annually recognizes Pitt alumni who have enriched the lives of others through extraordinary efforts in the...