SAN DIEGO (CNS) - The San Diego Foundation awarded $200,000 in workforce development grants to San Diego City College Wednesday to support the retention and graduation of Black students studying nursing and cybersecurity.
"Workforce development is key to building a resilient region that supports the prosperity of employees, businesses and local communities," Pamela Gray Payton, vice president and chief impact and partnerships officer at the foundation, said in a statement. "Through these grants, we are addressing local employer demand in these fields while supporting more Black and African- American students as they pursue in-demand careers that provide family- sustaining wages."
Based on the three-year average pass rate for the NCLEX-RN, the licensing exam for registered nurses, City College was this year named the second-best nursing school in California and third in the nation out of more than 1,700, according to a report by RNCareers.org, a nursing job site.
As a result of the lofty statistics -- and as a result of City College beginning a bachelor's degree program in cybersecurity earlier this year -- the San Diego Foundation leaders decided to back the community college, specifically focused on Black students.
The grants will foster outreach to prospective Black students, connect existing students with "culturally appropriate wraparound services" through the college's Hermanos Unidos/Brothers United and Umoja counseling programs, provide emergency and transportation financial aid and provide career development support, such as access to paid internships, clinical placements and culturally informed counseling, a statement from the foundation reads.
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