Adult Education & Workforce Development

Congratulations to Matthew McLean on stepping into his new role as a Housing Specialist with the Boston Housing Authority! 🎉

After graduating from our Property Management program this April, Matt consistently stood out as a dedicated professional and a hardworking presence in the classroom. It’s been a pleasure supporting your journey, and we’re excited to see all that you’ll accomplish in this next chapter.

Wishing you continued success, we’ll be cheering you on! 👏✨

A powerful day of learning in action! ✨

Our trainees recently visited the Mary Ellen McCormack housing site, where they explored a large-scale community serving thousands of Boston residents and currently undergoing redevelopment.

They toured the site, participated in a mock visit, and heard directly from 4 Property Management professionals in the field including program alumni who are already stepping into leadership roles.

Moments like these bring learning to life and remind us of what’s possible when opportunity meets support. 💪

🎉 This week at ILC: entrepreneurship in action!

Our Small Business Fair brought together ESOL students and community members to celebrate student-run businesses in a fun and accessible way.
Huge thanks to ILC Director, Angela Bayona Romero, and ILC advisor Tatsiana Litvinskaya-Zarrouki for helping make it happen and for sharing her own exciting milestone: her children’s book, Yasmine and the Golden Seed. 📚

We love seeing our students and educators shine both inside and outside the classroom!

Graduate Spotlight! 💡 Meet Diane, one of our recent Medical Office Employment graduates who attended our YMCA Workforce Graduation last week. 🎓

Throughout her cycle, Diane was extremely hardworking and a positive presence amongst her trainees. When asked what advice she'd give to current trainees, she said:

"Always be yourself and stay joyful through the process! Stay in contact with your peers in the program and don't be afraid to reach out. You never know what's around the corner."

We are so excited to see what's in store for Diane in her future! Congrats!

Another graduation in the books! 🎓 🎉 👏

Today we celebrated our Cycle 145 & 146 Property Management and Medical Office Employment Job Training graduates in our Downtown office!

After some refreshments, YMCA of Greater Boston's Chief of People & Culture Officer, María Fernanda C., delivered a moving speech detailing her personal career journey and offered graduates powerful words of encouragement. 😊

Other guest speakers included Luz Presinal Arias from the Medical Office cycle who secured a job as at Mass General and Shurita Parson, former graduate and now Customer Service Representative at Boston Housing Authority.

Graduation happens twice a year at our center and it's a powerful celebration of growth, community, resilience, and hard work. Words cannot express how proud we are of our graduates today and we wish them all the best on their journeys. 🌱

We’re excited to welcome our incredible volunteer mentors! 🙌

This week, Property Management and Medical Office Employee trainees had the opportunity to introduce themselves and connect with mentors who collectively bring over 60 years of professional experience to the table.

Through weekly interview practice and mentorship, trainees will build confidence, sharpen their skills, and gain real-world insights. Trainees came prepared with meaningful questions around leadership, management, and making a strong impression in interviews.

Grateful for the mentors’ time and commitment! Looking forward to seeing our trainees continue to grow 🌱

Kicking off the cycle with our Smart Goal workshop hosted by Robert Lowell, Senior Director of Workforce Development ! 😉

Our Property Management and Medical Office Employment trainees are in the midst of their Career Readiness in-cycle training. All demonstrated incredible focus when writing and sharing their SMART goals.

SMART Goals help to plan professional and personal long-term goals and writing these goals down can motivate individuals to execute them more successfully. 🌱 ✍

Stay tuned for more upcoming in-cycle updates coming soon! 🦾 👏

Last week, we welcomed one of our largest cohorts yet into the YMCA of Greater Boston’s Early Childhood Apprenticeship Program (ECAP)-a growing pathway into the joyful and rewarding field of early childhood education 🎉

As many of our apprentices already completed onboarding and stepped into the classroom, the team hosted an engaging in-person training for our three remaining apprentices: Jadah Williams, Kamryn Johnson, and Omari Hairston!

Apprentices engaged in hands-on learning, built community, and prepared for the meaningful work ahead. Guided by Program Manager Maureen Augenstern-Dane and Program Coordinator Jasmine Francoeur, they began developing the skills and confidence needed to thrive in early childhood settings.

Shout out to Amy, Medical Office Employment program graduate, on obtaining her Certificate for Medical Administrative Assistant (CMAA)! 🎉

Earning the CMAA is an incredible achievement and the YMCA Workforce Development team is so proud of Amy's hard work throughout the program. We all can't wait to see what Amy achieves next! 🤩👏

Stay tuned for updates!

We're celebrating Valentin, one of our Medical Office graduates, who recently received his Medical Administrative Assistant credential from the National Healthcare Association! 🎉

We're so proud of Valentin's incredible achievement! 👏