Winners Announced

Republished from Lumina Foundation’s website

MDC ACTS 
Miami Dade College
Judges' Choice Award:
$25,000

MDC ACTS (Accelerated Credentials Training and Skills) is a space to conceptualize, develop, implement, and manage accelerated training programs for adult learners supporting Miami-Dade County’s defined targeted industries (high-growth, high-wage). Outreach efforts focus on underserved populations (minorities, military, veterans, returning citizens). MDC seeks to secure co-invested industry partnerships to develop certificate programs designed to meet talent needs. The “earn and learn” model partners with employers in industry to offer 12-week accelerated training programs whereby MDC develops the curriculum and provides training space, Related Technical Instruction (RTI), including professional skills training, while the employer provides access to physical infrastructure, On-the-Job training (OJT), hourly compensation for the participant, a mini internship, a guaranteed job interview, and an offer of employment. Successful graduates of MDC ACTS earn a stackable credential and the opportunity to pursue a career ladder once employed. Scalability of the model is unlimited with potential to expand locally, regionally, nationally, internationally, and virtually. Tesla Corp. is MDC’s first industry partner with the MDC ACTS program.

“For some, the decision about whether to stay in school can come down to a choice between putting food on the table or going to class. We hope that with our earn-and-learn model, fewer people will to have to make that choice. It allows students to remain in school while earning a wage, raise their skills in high-demand local industries, and have an entry point to a higher education pathway.”Lenore Rodicio, executive vice president and provost of Miami Dade College

Knack 
Audience Choice Award:
$25,000

We’re building a world where every college student has access to free, individualized peer support services – regardless of his or her background or socioeconomic status. Our platform’s unique model aligns incentives and creates a win-win-win for all stakeholders: students, the institution, and partnered employers/corporations allowing us to eliminate costs and maximize the impact and accessibility of support services and 21st-century skills development. Knack enables college students to build, demonstrate, and validate 21st-century skills for success in the classroom and modern-day workplace. We partner with colleges and universities to transform academic and student support services into high-impact educational practices by activating their top-performing students as a supplemental network of peer tutors, mentors, coaches, and advisors. When institutions work with us, they're able to lift student engagement, retention, and career readiness, while scaling support services in a renewable and cost-effective manner.

“When you get to college, you’re kind of left on your own to figure it out, so students with different learning styles or who lack access to the resources they need miss out on opportunities. Through our model, we’re trying to change that dynamic. By pairing students with peer mentors, tutors, and coaches, we not only serve the learner on the receiving end, but also on the other side—the peer leader who’s reinforcing their subject-matter knowledge and developing soft skills.”Samyr Qureshi, Knack co-founder and CEO

No Limits No Excuses (NLNE) 
Amarillo Area Foundation 
Runner-Up:
$5,000

No Limits No Excuses (NLNE), a program of the Amarillo Area Foundation, is a group of Texas Panhandle agencies and organizations striving to create a culture of success. We are ensuring the pathways to quality credentials and living-wage employment are accessible to every resident. Our multi-layer solution involves every aspect of life: family, faith, community, business, education. We believe it takes a village to improve retention, persistence, and attainment, and collaboration is vital to the foundation of that village.

Amarillo Area Foundation connects donors with programs aimed at improving the quality of life for Texas Panhandle residents. By joining together to meet the needs facing our region, we will see the Texas Panhandle thrive.

“We want everyone to earn a living wage and be self-sufficient, but to get there many need a step-by-step plan and community support. Our app creates that plan and connects learners with employers, advisors, counselors, volunteer mentors, and other education resources to help them succeed.”Leeann Kossey Overstreet, No Limits No Excuses program officer at Amarillo Area Foundation

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