As part of its continuing support of financial literacy education for New Mexicans, Nusenda Credit Union is continuing its partnership with Central New Mexico Community College, Albuquerque Public Schools, and the APS Career Enrichment Center to hold
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 and 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 being able to make sound financial decisions for themselves and their families in the future and help with decisions on budgets, debt, and investing,” said Nusenda’s Vice President of Community Engagement Sara Keller. “This course and other financial education opportunities that we provide for the community, at no charge, remove barriers to future economic success for New Mexico’s next generation of leaders.”
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 at least $9 per hour, along with additional high school and college
credit. Topics include:
- Financial Careers and Education Pathways.
- History of Banking and Economic Systems.
- Traditional and Alternative Lending.
- Budgeting and Saving.
- Credit, Debt, and Empowered Financial Decisions.
To date, 491 students have completed a Nusenda-sponsored financial capability course; since 2015, 149 interns have been selected, and 25 of these former interns are still 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 Nusenda Executive
Vice President of Operations Michelle Dearholt. “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 2021 Financial Services Career Exploration course runs from Feb. 1 to April 25, 2021 (course registration number 83097). It will be held virtually through Brightspace on Wednesdays and Fridays from 12:30 to 1:50 p.m. For more information and to register, visit cnm.edu/dual-credit.