As part of its continuing support of financial literacy education for New Mexicans, Nusenda Credit Union announces its seventh year of the Financial Services Career Exploration course, available at no cost for metro-area high school students. The award-winning program helps young people gain sound financial skills and knowledge, earn credits toward high school and college, and participate in career development and paid internships in the financial services industry.
The Financial Services Career Exploration course concept has won numerous awards, including a Strada Education Pathways with a Purpose award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors. Last month in Santa Fe, the program was recognized again with the SHIFT award — a national, gold-level distinction by Innovate+Educate and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) New Mexico State Council for connecting unemployed and underserved Americans to new paths of employment, training, and economic opportunity.
According to youth.gov, a government agency collaborative focused on youth issues, many young people reach adulthood without the basic financial knowledge and skills that are critical for establishing healthy financial futures. Additionally, given the increasing complexity of the financial services landscape, including application-based and online-based financial services, young people more than ever have a greater need to improve their financial capability.
Compared with peers in other nations, U.S. 15-year-olds rank in the middle of countries and economies who participated in a financial literacy assessment. Nearly one in five young people failed to demonstrate more than a basic level of financial knowledge and skill.
“Studies show that providing financial education early in life, and at critical points in young people’s development, is associated with less credit card debt, higher savings rates, and fewer personal bankruptcies,” said Nusenda’s Chief Community Engagement Officer, Robin Brulé. “This course and other youth financial education opportunities that we provide for the community, at no charge, removes barriers to future economic success for New Mexico’s youth.”
Nusenda’s Financial Services Career Exploration course not only helps students learn about career pathways in the financial service industry, it also helps them gain finance skills to manage their personal finances -such as creating a budget, making a savings plan, managing credit, and more. Once students complete the course, they are eligible to apply for a paid internship with Nusenda Credit Union and receive compensation of more than $9 per hour, along with additional high school and college credit.
To date, 198 students have completed the Nusenda curriculum; of those, 97 paid interns have been hired, and 23 former interns are now full-time Nusenda employees placed in a variety of roles throughout the organization.
“This internship is a mutually beneficial program in that it helps students realize exciting professions for themselves; and assists us in developing and bringing new and diverse talent into our industry,” said Julie Fisher, Nusenda’s senior vice president of employee experience. “We are pleased to say that many of our interns have stayed on as they progress through their college degrees, and are employed with us today.”
The spring 2020 Financial Services Career Exploration course runs from Feb. 3 to April 26, 2020 (course registration number 85783). It will be held at the Career Enrichment Center, 807 Mountain Road NE in Albuquerque. For more information, visit CNM Dual Credit Courses. Registration is open now.