Community College of Beaver County, Big Brothers Big Sisters Launch Innovative Workforce Development
Monaca, PA, March 26, 2019 – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Beaver County (BBBS) and the Community College of Beaver County (CCBC) are launching an innovative workforce development program aimed at bringing neighboring high school students to CCBC’s campus to develop one-on-one mentoring relationships with college leaders.
This effort is made possible by a $10,000 donation from two Beaver-based businesses, the public accounting firm of Cottrill Arbutina & Associates and the financial planning firm of Cottrill Arbutina Wealth Management Group, and a $5,000 matching contribution from CCBC.
Modeled after the Beyond School Walls Workplace Mentoring program, this personalized approach offers students exposure to the programming at CCBC and connects them with executive leadership at the college to advise and support their personal, educational and professional goals.
“This is our first partnership to get off the ground in the workplace mentoring program. We cannot do this by ourselves, and we feel incredibly fortunate to have great partners at Cottrill Arbutina, CCBC and Central Valley School District to launch this effort,” said Kim Anastas, Executive Director, BBBS of Beaver County.
The goals of CCBC’s new mentoring program are to introduce youth to jobs earlier in their school years, allow them to experience what it means to work for a corporation or government agency, inform them of the education requirements needed to achieve professional success, and build a strong and supporting mentoring relationship.
In addition to mentoring at least 15 students from the Central Valley, the program will provide a valuable opportunity to expose the students to CCBC’s nationally-recognized High School Academies and place them on guided pathways in high-demand career fields such as professional piloting, nursing, process technology, coding, criminal justice, and construction management.
“As a former BBBS ‘Big’ I know first-hand the life-changing impact these mentor relationships can have in the community,” said Roger Davis, President, CCBC. “We’re incredibly thankful for the philanthropic support of the Cottrill Arbutina firms to launch this program, and we see this as another puzzle piece to help people in our community move their lives forward.”
The program will launch in March 2019 and will run for nine months with student participants visiting CCBC monthly to meet with their CCBC “Big” for lunch and to explore a new career path during each visit.
“I’ve had the good fortune to be a board member for both BBBS of Beaver County and the CCBC Foundation and see the life-changing impact both of these organizations have in our community,” said Tod Arbutina, Managing Shareholder, Cottrill Arbutina and Associates and Managing Member, Cottrill Arbutina Wealth Management Group. “I see incredible opportunity for them to work together and I’m glad the two Cottrill Arbutina firms are able to help make that possible.”
About Community College of Beaver County - CCBC transforms lives through personalized education, dynamic partnerships, and high impact practices. CCBC is an Achieving the Dream Leader College and offers 64 degree, certificate and diploma programs, hundreds of Continuing Education and Workforce Development programs, seamless transfer to a wide variety of baccalaureate and graduate institutions, and a nationally distinctive high school academy dual enrollment program. The Aspen Institute named CCBC one of America’s Top 150 community colleges in 2017.
About Big Brothers Big Sisters of Beaver County - The Big Brothers Big Sisters mission is to help children reach their potential through professionally supported, one-to-one relationships with caring and committed Big Brothers, Big Sisters, and Big Couples. Programs are designed to assist at-risk children from primarily low-income families. Youth development experts agree that at-risk children benefit from having additional supportive, caring adults in their lives to instill confidence and self-worth.
About Cottrill Arbutina and Associates - With offices in Beaver and Pittsburgh, and founded in 1984, Cottrill Arbutina is one of the largest privately-owned public accounting firms in Western Pennsylvania and a Pittsburgh Business Times “Top 25 public accounting firm.”
About Cottrill Arbutina Wealth Management Group - Cottrill Arbutina Wealth Management Group specializes in comprehensive wealth planning to help individuals pursue focused goals to provide a range of investments and income that seek to meet their needs. Securities offered through LPL Financial, Member FINRA/SIPC. Tax and accounting services provided by Cottrill, Arbutina & Associates, Inc. are not affiliated with Cottrill, Arbutina Wealth Management Group nor LPL Financial.
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