LaGuardia Community College and The Fedcap Group Announce Groundbreaking Partnership to Bring Industry-Recognized Programs to Civic Hall

Civic Hall to Officially Open this Fall to Hundreds of Students

Courses Will Include Cyber Security, Digital Marketing, and Computer and IT Network Management

NEW YORK, NY – May 31, 2023 – LaGuardia Community College and The Fedcap Group have created a pioneering partnership that will place LaGuardia Community College as the first-ever educational partner for Civic Hall in Manhattan. The two institutions signed a memorandum of understanding and agreement during a ceremony at the future home of Civic Hall at Zero Irving in the vibrant Union Square area of New York City. This partnership represents a significant milestone in fostering educational collaborations in New York City.

Starting in September and ramping up with additional programs throughout the year, LaGuardia will offer several high-demand digital and technology education programs including cyber security, computer and IT network programming, digital marketing, and basics in accounting and Microsoft Office courses. LaGuardia will begin hosting open houses and recruitment events virtually this summer to maximize accessibility to a new population of students and learners.

The initial agreement lasts for a full academic year, with a mutual expectation for a long-term collaboration to continue well beyond this period. The primary aim of this partnership is to foster a unique educational ecosystem that promotes skill-building, career development, and higher learning opportunities in the tech sector for individuals in the region.

“The Fedcap Group and LaGuardia Community College share a vision of creating innovative pathways to enhance the education and career prospects of our students,” said Kenneth Adams, President of LaGuardia Community College. “Our collaboration will open up new possibilities for students, not just at LaGuardia, but throughout New York.”

LaGuardia Community College and The Fedcap Group will work together to develop educational and upskilling pathways between LaGuardia and other training and education providers co-located at Zero Irving, including with The Fedcap Group’s Apex Technical School.

“Our partnership with LaGuardia Community College is an exciting example of things to come at Civic Hall,” said Christine McMahon, President and CEO of The Fedcap Group. “LaGuardia Community College brings world-class programs in digital skills, technology, and innovation that will put many individuals on a path to economic well-being. Not only will this partnership help individuals, but it will also fill critical tech sector workforce gaps in New York City.”

“I am delighted that LaGuardia Community College has entered a partnership with Civic Hall to enhance workforce development and job training opportunities for New Yorkers. We must ensure that all New Yorkers have access to opportunities that build skills to meet the challenges of a changing economic landscape, and I look forward to further collaboration in supporting our community through creative partnerships like this one,” said New York City Council Member Carlina Rivera (D-02).

“Civic Hall at Union Square will serve as a hub for digital-skills training offering cutting-edge innovation, collaboration and educational trainings for New Yorkers, while also building a pipeline for the sector that reflects New York City’s tech ecosystem ,” said NYCEDC President & CEO President Andrew Kimball. “The partnership between Civic Hall and LaGuardia Community College will deliver on the goals of the hub to bring in-demand skills training and development to every New Yorker, regardless of background, to find economic opportunity in the tech ecosystem. We look forward to continuing to work with our partners at Civic Hall on opening the nation’s leading skills and tech center.”

“Civic Hall at Union Square is a key resource for New York City as we look to develop the next generation of tech talent. I am excited to see this partnership with LaGuardia Community College, creating a pipeline for our students to well paying jobs in a sustainable, and growing sector,” said Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine.

Civic Hall @ Union Square in RAL’s new Zero Irving development at 124 East 14th Street will occupy 85,000 square feet on seven floors and offer flexible classrooms and convening spaces for the nation’s leading digital skills and technology job training organizations. In addition, a stunning and customizable conference and events center anchors Civic Hall for use by the whole community.

Stay tuned for more updates and details on events to be held at Civic Hall this summer.

About LaGuardia Community College
LaGuardia Community College is a Hispanic-Serving Institution, located in Long Island City, Queens that offers more than 60 continuing education programs. As an institution of the City University of New York (CUNY), the College reflects the legacy of our namesake, Fiorello H. LaGuardia, the former NYC mayor beloved for his advocacy of underserved populations. Since 1971, LaGuardia’s academic programs and support services have advanced the socioeconomic mobility of students while providing them with access to a high quality, affordable college education.

About Civic Hall
Civic Hall’s mission is to support and enable best-in-class programs that help close the digital skills divide and plan for the needs of tomorrow’s workforce. Located in the heart of the NYC tech community at Union Square, Civic Hall will be a new, 85,000-square-foot learning and training center at the new state-of-the-art Zero Irving building. Civic Hall will facilitate groundbreaking partnerships among high-impact tenants and workforce training partners to work collectively to meet the needs of all New Yorkers, especially those from communities too often left behind. For more information, visit https://civichall.org/ or email Seema Shah, Civic Hall’s Executive Director, at sshah@fedcap.org.

About The Fedcap Group
For 87 years, The Fedcap Group has developed scalable, innovative, and disruptive solutions to some of society’s most pressing needs. Serving 340,000 people this past fiscal year, The Fedcap Group provides educational services to every age group, vocational training and job attainment in high-growth industries, as well as support services such as behavioral health services—all targeted to helping people achieve long-term self-sufficiency. The Fedcap Group also invests its time and resources in broader system change—working in partnership with federal, state, and local government to improve the way services are designed, funded, and delivered.

For media inquiries or high resolution images, please contact: Susan Walsh, 212-727-4200, (SWalsh@fedcap.org).
View the photo slideshow.

February 8, 2023

Time to Close the Digital Skills Divide

May 2, 2022May 2, 2022

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. This important recognition was established in 1949 to increase awareness of the importance of mental health and wellness in Americans’ lives, and to celebrate recovery from mental illness. This year, the National Alliance on Mental Illness encourages the amplification of the message “Together for Mental Health,” and to advocate for access to quality care for anyone affected by a mental illness.

The prevalence and impact of mental illness are hard to overstate. U.S. prisons are filled with people suffering from untreated mental illness. Incidences of mental illness have gone up significantly since the pandemic began in 2020, when The National Institute of Health reported that one in five American adults experienced a mental health issue, and one in 20 Americans lived with a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression. One in 6 young people experienced a major depressive episode, and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for people ages 10-24.

The companies of The Fedcap Group understand that most people with mental health problems can recover, and that treatment and recovery are ongoing processes that happen over time. We also believe that work completes treatment. The first step is getting help, and each day across our agency we provide proven treatments, supports and community-based activities to help people living with a mental illness on their path to recovery, through a lens of long-term economic well-being.

Together we can fight the stigma of mental illness, and help build a world where care and treatment for mental illness are available to all.

March 14, 2022March 14, 2022

Celebrating the Strength and Tenacity of Women

March is National Women’s History Month, which recognizes the contributions of women to history, society and culture. The month-long observance, celebrated since 1987, honors women who changed history—women like Abigail Adams, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony and Rosa Parks—and countless others who, despite systemic discrimination, fought for equality and justice, and achieved greatness in their chosen field of endeavor.

Despite the incredible courage and hard work of generations of women, we are still a long way from an equitable society. Women constitute 27 percent of Congress, but over half the population. At Fortune 500 companies, women account for just over seven percent of CEOs. Women make up only 28 percent of the STEM workforce. Women’s median earnings are 80.8 percent those of men. A black woman has to work 19 months to earn what white men do in a year, according to the National Partnership for Women and Families. Latina women earn $0.57 for every dollar earned by white men.

Across the U.S., 15.5 percent of women live in poverty compared with 11.9 percent of men. Retired women are twice as likely as retired men to live in poverty. Workplace sexual harassment and assault are common, and drive many women from their jobs. Sixty-six percent of female service members report sexual harassment or assault. As many as one in four women are victims of domestic violence.

These inequalities and injustices were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has had a disproportionate impact on women’s participation in the workforce, placed greater burdens on paid and unpaid caregivers, and increased rates of domestic violence. Today, the constitutional right to abortion is threatened as States seek to restrict and deny critical reproductive health care and bodily autonomy.

Yet women everywhere, inspired by heroines who changed history, are making great strides in the ongoing fight for equality. According to A Proclamation on Women’s History Month, 2022 by President Joe Biden—“Women of the labor movement are achieving monumental reforms to help all workers secure the better pay, benefits, and safety they deserve. LGBTQI+ women and girls are leading the fight for justice, opportunity, and equality — especially for the transgender community. Women and girls continue to lead groundbreaking civil rights movements for social justice and freedom, so that everyone can realize the full promise of America.”

The companies of The Fedcap Group are represented by women at every level, and we are stronger for it. Please join us during this Women’s History Month in honoring women who have changed the world, and those who continue the struggle for equality and fairness.