Success Initiative
The Armory College Prep Success Initiative furthers the ACP mission of “Keeping Kids on Track,” even after our students graduate from high school. We foster relationships with our contacts at industry-leading institutions who care deeply about first-generation college students’ successful navigation through the college-to-career transition.
By becoming a Success Initiative Supporter, your organization will be connected with a pipeline of diverse talent while making a difference by creating equitable opportunities and transformative career experiences for students from underserved communities.
Diversity Wins in the Workplace
We strive to support our cohort of college students, whose majors range from accounting to biology to civil engineering, from universities like Brown, Cornell, NYU, City College, Stony Brook University, Lehman College, and Williams College.
According to a study conducted by McKinsey & Company in partnership with The Society for Human Research Management, companies that exhibit gender and ethnic diversity are, respectively, 15% and 35% more likely to outperform less diverse peers. Moreover, diverse teams are 158% more likely to understand target customers.
A Paid Position’s Impact
THE DIFFERENCE OF A DEGREE
Earning a 4-year bachelor’s degree today continues to be the number one method of social mobility for first-generation college students and for students from low-income families. First-generation college students (FGCS) that attain bachelor’s degrees out-earn peers with some or no college experience. Research conducted for the Pell Institute’s Equity Indicator and EducationData.org found that FGCS with bachelor’s degrees earn, on average, $43,285 per year, a stark contrast to the $28,620 annual salary for those that only completed some college.
a Paid opportunity impacts mobility
While earning a bachelor’s degree is a key factor in a students’ economic mobility, paid internships have a major impact on a student’s employability and career prospects.
Employers rate industry-related internship experience as the most influential factor when looking to hire recent graduates, according to the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE). Statistics show that 66% of college graduates who worked in a paid internship received job offers. On the other hand, just 43.7% of unpaid interns were offered a job after graduation.
Another interesting finding by NACE is that close to 75% of all college graduates reported participating in an internship. Among these figures, FGCS are vastly underrepresented. Only 22% of all interns were FGCS, and, of that group, only 19% held a paid position.
When looking at these figures, the opportunity cost of first-generation and low-income college students not participating in paid internships is far too high.
What We Do
You can be confident that alumni of our Armory College Prep High School program are well-prepared candidates for the positions you are seeking to fill. Below are some of the ways we work with alumni to ensure success for both you and them.
our core supports
While at college, we encourage our students to learn about various fields of work, and we provide them with the resources to do so, catered to each student’s academic and personal interests.
Success Initiative programming provides individualized, constructive feedback for resumes and cover letters.
We work with students to refine their interviewing, communication, and presentation skills, preparing them for the workplace and fostering confidence in the process.
What You Can Do
Organizations we work with provide paid positions for our college students, alumni of the Armory College Prep High School program. Positions typically take place in the summer, and they must entail at least 35 hours of work per week for 12 weeks.
To become a Success Initiative Supporter or for more information, please email Olicia Williams at owilliams@armorytrack.org.