NewHavenBIZ

n e w h a v e n b i z . c o m | N o v e m b e r 2 0 2 2 | n e w h a v e n B I Z 17 New Haven Promise President Patricia Melton. PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Haven Promise students, getting them internships while in college so that they come out of college with connections and experience that will help them land jobs," said McFadden, who has been on the council for about four years. In expanding Promise to help graduates find jobs, the program is also seeking to address the labor shortage that has plagued businesses coming out of the pandemic, spokesman John Miller said. e program produces about 200 graduates a year who can meet the demand for workers, he said. "We have the talent," Miller said. "ey are excited about moving back to New Haven aer graduation, and they are ready to work." Dorinda Manner, vice president of talent acquisition and development at Yale New Haven Health, said that she views Promise graduates as part of the solution to the labor shortage. She said she has hired three Promise graduates who have proven themselves excellent employees and wants to bring on more. "I think our partnership with the New Haven Promise creates a phenomenal pipeline," she said. "We're in New Haven. We want to hire people from New Haven." Manner didn't know exactly how many Promise graduates Yale Haven Health has hired, but she said it's "a good amount." Yale New Haven Health operates Yale New Haven Hospital as well as hospitals in Bridgeport, New London, Greenwich and Westerly, R.I. New Haven native and Promise recipient Mark Garcia, who graduated from the University of Connecticut in 2020 with a degree in biology, said the program's internships were vital in helping him land his first job. Garcia, who was born in the U.S., is the child of emigrants from rural Mexico who settled in New Haven for a better life, he said. "Every summer, I had an internship with New Haven Promise that bolstered my resume," Garcia said. ose internships helped lead to New Haven-based Axion hiring him as a researcher, he said. In addition to helping Garcia find a job, Promise also enabled him to earn a college degree virtually debt free, he said. "I would recommend to anyone who is interested in the program to take advantage of the internships as well as networking," said Garcia, who is also a second lieutenant in the Connecticut National Guard and did a tour last year in the Horn of Africa. "at's how I met all of my fellow peers and how we got jobs." For Garcia, Promise is also a family affair. His older and two younger siblings enrolled in the program as well. Coming home Melton noted that most New Haven Promise recipients want to return to the city to begin their careers, a desire the program wants to help them fulfill. e program was envisioned not only as a leg up for lower-income students, immigrants and kids of color, but also a response to the city's changing economy, she said. "Yale University is the number one employer," Melton said. "Yale New Haven Hospital is number two. We're a different economy from 30 or 40 years ago when Winchester was the number one employer." About 150 to 200 Promise scholars receive degrees each year, creating a ready pool of graduates eager to return to New Haven and go to work, she said. New Haven Promise's graduation rate averages 67 percent, a figure it's seeking to push to 75 percent, Melton said. "Our graduation rate is well above the national average," Melton said. To qualify for Promise, high school students must live in New Haven, attend a city public or charter school, maintain at least a B average and do community service. n A t A G l a n c e Nonprofit: New Haven Promise Industry: Scholarship/workforce nonprofit Top Executive: Patricia Melton, President HQ: 28 Lincoln Way, New Haven Website: https://newhavenpromise.org Contact: 203-776-6473 John Miller PHOTO | CONTRIBUTED Building Ideas That Work... Building Ideas That Work... Contact us at 860.482.7613 or visit us at BorghesiBuilding.com 2155 East Main Street Torrington, Connecticut 06790 © 2011 BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. All rights reserved. Butler Manufacturing ™ is a division of BlueScope Buildings North America, Inc. Borghesi Building & Engineering Co., Inc. will guide you in defining your project goals, help analyze your prospective property and provide a realistic budget. For more than 80 years, Borghesi Building & Engineering Co., Inc. has provided quality and reliability with design and energy efficient construction. With an attractive design, it presents to your customers a comfortable relaxing environment to help promote sales. You will appreciate the quality your facility presents.

• Cover