Investing in youth employment

Early employment can set a young person on a trajectory for success, providing them with both a paycheck and a stepping-stone for improving academic performance.

Building a network through work can be one of the best ways to start a career path and increase self-confidence. That’s why Bank of America has a long history of investing in youth employment, including our Financial Center Apprenticeship program, our Student Leaders® program, and partnerships with local nonprofits, mayors and sports teams.

Since 2010, Bank of America has funded 20,000 jobs for youth, helping them gain valuable workforce skills and stay focused on their futures. And we've invested $160 million since 2018 to connect youth and young adults to jobs and mentoring, including funding jobs with nonprofit partners and supporting skills-building and alternative pathways.

Student smiling

Connecting community-minded youth to internships

Every year, we help connect more than 300 high school juniors and seniors—also known as Student Leaders®—to service opportunities and skills training. They participate in an eight-week paid internship with local nonprofits like Boys and Girls Clubs of America and Habitat for Humanity.

They also get to see how nonprofits, governments and businesses collaborate to meet local needs by participating in the national Student Leaders Summit in Washington, D.C.

girl speaking

Student Leaders share their hopes for building a more diverse and inclusive society

Our 2020 Bank of America Student Leaders have been finding their voice and developing leadership skills to help them tackle some of the challenges we face, from a health and humanitarian crisis to the need for greater racial equality.
kid wearing a mask

Student Leaders step up to address community needs during the coronavirus

In addition to making an impact these three students share another connection: all are 2020 Bank of America Student Leaders®.
Student smiling

Building pathways to success through summer jobs & leadership skills

As part of our commitment to responsible growth, we invest in the communities we serve through programs and partnerships that address complex societal challenges.
showing element 1 of 3
students walking down stairs

An early jump on a healthy career

A partnership between Bakersfield College and the Kern County School District is connecting students with emerging opportunities in public health. High school students take courses at the community college for free and are connected to career pathways in public health through volunteering and internships. The program drastically reduces student debt for participants, many of whom are from low-income households, helping to alleviate some of the financial burden of traditional four-year degree.

Across the country, we’re helping youth and young adults gain valuable workforce experience, including internships and early employment, by partnering with organizations and local employers in local communities. 

Two workers behind the counter, smiling

Every successful career starts with a first job

In Sacramento, a nonprofit helps young people from underserved communities find steady work.
Female and male students

A chance to see what they can be

With an internship program for high-school seniors, this nonprofit opens doors in underserved communities in Chicago and beyond.
African American girl running over hurdle

Helping athletes win on and off the field

Palm Beach Student ACES focuses on character building to ensure student athletes excel as leaders on and off the field. Discover how the Student ACES Center (SAC) was created, with the support of Bank of America, for a stable space for kids to go after school.
showing element 1 of 3
Student smiling

From internships to careers

Our Financial Center Apprenticeship program focuses on building technology expertise while also offering an opportunity to further develop business acumen and skills through mentoring by Bank of America teammates. Students like Dan Querrius in Dallas, TX, have served as Digital Ambassadors in financial centers across the country, bringing their own passion and know-how to the workplace. In addition to bringing home a paycheck, our apprenticeship participants gain a better understanding of personal finances through Better Money Habits®, our financial wellness and education platform.

two students wearing masks and talking together

Pivoting summer youth employment programs in response to the coronavirus

2020 presented new challenges for connecting youth with job experience. So after more than a decade of partnering with mayors’ offices across the country to facilitate youth employment, we pivoted to making those connections virtually. In the process, we helped provide summer employment to approximately 4,000 at-risk youth from low- and moderate-income communities.

For example, in Charlotte, North Carolina, employer commitments to provide traditional onsite youth internship experiences were down 78%. This led to our partnership with the City of Charlotte Mayor’s Youth Employment Program (MYEP) to help create a virtual summer internship program. Working with local organizations and businesses, the MYEP’s program ensured students had everything they needed to succeed virtually, from access to Chromebooks to frequent check-ins and follow-up help.

Girl using computer

Raising a generation of problem solvers

Girls Who Code (GWC) is a nonprofit that is working to eliminate the gender gap in tech and change the image of what a programmer looks like. Through its Summer Immersion Program — hosted by Bank of America and other partners in cities across the U.S. each year — GWC gives high school girls an opportunity to explore their passion for technology and learn new skills by connecting with professional women who serve as role models and living proof that a career in STEM is within their reach.