Special Project: Bridge to Employment

TCNJ has entered into multi-year partnerships with Jannsen Pharmaceuticals (a Johnson and Johnson subsidiary)—with international colleagues—around one of America’s most significant issues:  improving access to education for urban and disadvantaged youth.   This grant project—Bridge to Employment-- began in fall 2008 and encourages the students to enter the health care profession.

As part of this initiative, TCNJ students work with a cohort of 50 rising sophomore students at the Trenton Medical Arts Academy—a satellite learning-community that is part of Trenton Central High School.   A team from the TCNJ community (which could include faculty and staff) help to deliver a life-skills project, an experiential community-engaged learning program, provide academic tutoring, organize summer enrichment Institutes—and work with Jannsen to ensure that there is a job-shadowing, professional mentoring and internship component.

The TCNJ site was one of 7 chosen internationally.  During this cycle, BTE programs will be established in Bogota Colombia, Scotland (two sites), California, Saint Louis and Cleveland.   Team leaders from each site met in Washington D.C. during the fall—and are participating in strategic planning sessions under the direction of AED (the Academy for Educational Development), an international non-profit organization with programs in the majority of countries around the world.   The current plan is to select the youth participants this spring.

The TCNJ-Jannsen BTE Team includes Peg Forrestal (Jannsen), Patrick Donohue, Rich Wilson (TCNJ Bonner Center), Jeff Osborne (Dean, School of Science), Susan Bachwell-Sachs (Dean of Nursing), Carolyn Lewis-Spruill (Director, Trenton Department of Health), Sam Frisby (Director, Trenton Department of Parks, Recreation and Culture), Tariq Shabazz (TCNJ Junior Business student/Bonner Community Scholar and Trenton resident), and Morgan Reil (TCNJ Bonner Center).