{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-announces-16-million-for-college-unbounds-innovative-education-to-workforce-pipeline", "Reed Announces $1.6 Million for College Unbound\u2019s Innovative Education-to-Workforce Pipeline", "2024-10-21", "2024", "2024-10", "Democrat", "Senate", "RI", "Jack Reed", "R000122", "www.reed.senate.gov", "jackreed", "https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases", "scraper", "PROVIDENCE, RI \u2013 Building on a commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in education and helping Rhode Island grow it\u2019s skilled workforce, U.S. Senator Jack Reed today joined College Unbound (CU) to celebrate two major federal awards that will help improve education access and outcomes for Latino students and support CU\u2019s efforts to strengthen and diversify workforce development pipelines to prepare adult learners for in-demand careers.\n\nCollege Unbound is an accredited college designed specifically for working adults that seeks to better align adult learner\u2019s educational experience with career readiness. The non-profit\u2019s bachelor degree program integrates interest/project-based learning with the needs of the current economic landscape and communities it serves.\n\nThe federal funds for CU were awarded through a $900,000 federal earmark secured by Senator Reed and a prestigious $706,588 August F. Hawkins grant, administered by the U.S. Department of Education\u2019s Hawkins Center of Educational Excellence, to help CU train and develop the next generation of diverse, culturally-responsive educators.\n\n\u201cCollege Unbound does tremendous work ensuring that every Rhode Islander has the opportunity to achieve their educational and career aspirations. Through collaboration and learner-centered strategies, College Unbound and its partners across the state are bolstering educational opportunities, especially amongst our diverse communities, while also addressing our state\u2019s critical workforce needs,\u201d said Senator Reed, a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee. \u201cThis federal funding for College Unbound is a significant investment in Rhode Island\u2019s fastest growing communities and will help raise educational attainment, expand opportunity, and build the foundation for a prosperous future.\u201d\n\n\u201cThese grants together celebrate and uplift who our students are. Adults who are parenting, working full time, newcomers to this country or raised in multilingual homes. This funding helps us better support these students to get their degrees and advance in their careers. Even more, it allows us to honor, and credit, the learning that has come from the personal and professional experiences that previously made finishing college out of reach,\u201d said Adam Bush, President of College Unbound. \u201cWe can only do this through our partnerships with peer colleges and community organizations, and look forward to leaning in and learning together to make this all possible.\u201d\n\nCollege Unbound, in partnership with Rhode Island College (RIC), will use the federal funding to raise the bar for educational opportunity by deepening student supports for Hispanic and Latino students. Both schools have earned the designation as Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSI). The two colleges will work together to implement HSI best practices on curricula and student supports. The federal funding will also support an array of CU initiatives, including:", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-07T21:57:20Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.reed.senate.gov/news/releases/reed-announces-16-million-for-college-unbounds-innovative-education-to-workforce-pipeline"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.7612700574100018, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}