Goldman Sachs has announced the launch of a new workforce development program for community colleges called 10,000 Small Businesses Fellows, and LaGuardia Community College is among the participants.
The 10,000 Small Businesses Fellows program looks to help underrepresented community college students to address the needs of the small business workforce.
The program will create over 250 internship opportunities for college students funded by the Goldman Sachs Foundation. According to the foundation, this program aims to create career pathways for students from community colleges and address the growing skills gap facing small businesses by facilitating hands-on internship opportunities.
“Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Fellows will be an invaluable resource to our students and the College. Programs that give students real-world work experience are critical to their success as they enter and build careers,” said Kenneth Adams, president of LaGuardia Community College. “Thanks to the Goldman Sachs Foundation for our productive partnership and for providing this incredible opportunity for our students.”
The opportunity comes at an opportune time since many college students have had their internships compromised by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Ever since the pandemic, getting my foot in the door to develop job experience has been a huge hurdle for myself and many of my classmates,” said Dilawar Khan, a student at LaGuardia Community College. “I’m honored to be a part of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Fellows and am grateful for the opportunity to pursue my career goals.”
The Fellows program is an extension of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, which invested $750 million to help small businesses across the United States. In just the past 10 years over 10,000 small businesses have been given entrepreneurial resources by the organization to create jobs and promote entrepreneurship.
Goldman Sachs is concerned for small businesses because of the unprecedented impact of the global pandemic. Since small businesses employ almost half of America’s workforce and represent over 99 percent of employer firms, keeping these businesses running is crucial to both the economy and the wellbeing of Americans.
For more information on the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Fellows program, visit 10ksbfellows.com.
