This bill would establish a Career Pathways Work Study Trust Fund to help subsidize the costs of work-studies for students enrolled in the Commonwealth’s community colleges. The Trust Fund would also help support an education opportunity coordinator through the Massachusetts Association of Community Colleges. The trust fund will also help fund internships that would otherwise be unpaid, and thus inaccessible to students who have families that rely on their income to get by.

While success in the classroom is an obvious, it is impossible to understate the relevance of internships and work study opportunities that lend practical experience and so often lead directly to employment opportunities after graduation. Some schools offer assistance to find and succeed in these programs, however too often these positions are reliant on connections based on family, friends, and wealth — specifically the ability of students to work at an unpaid position. Too many students from low-income backgrounds are forced to miss out on these important opportunities to experience a workplace and build the networks necessary to succeed. The goal of this legislation is to uplift these students by placing at least one such coordinator on each of the community college campuses to assist students with career planning, accessing financial aid, and identifying a program of study.