TOPICS:
Curry College has been selected as a recipient of a Commonwealth Corporation (CommCorp) grant through the Young Adults with Disabilities (YAWD) program. This competitive, state-funded initiative connects promising young adults with high-quality training, career readiness support, and meaningful employment opportunities.
At the recent grant announcement hosted at Curry College, state and community leaders emphasized the importance of tapping into the talents of all individuals to build a stronger workforce for Massachusetts. Among the attendees were Massachusetts Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Lauren Jones and State Representative Richard G. Wells, Jr. Secretary Jones emphasized the Commonwealth’s commitment to greater competitiveness, greater equity, and greater affordability, emphasizing that programs like this reduce barriers to employment for underemployed and unemployed residents.
Curry College President Jay Gonzalez spoke to Curry’s long history of supporting students with learning differences through the Program for Advancement of Learning (PAL). And he explained how the grant will expand the College’s efforts through the Neurodiversity Center for Excellence, helping prepare young people for success in the workforce while also equipping employers to support neurodivergent workers.
“Curry College is thrilled to partner with the Healey-Driscoll Administration, Secretary Lauren Jones and the team at the Commonwealth Corporation to prepare young, neurodivergent adults for success in the workforce,” said Gonzalez. “With this critical grant funding, our Neurodiversity Center for Excellence will be able to build on Curry’s long history of supporting neurodivergent learners to ensure access to and success in employment for neurodivergent individuals.”
This grant represents an important opportunity for Curry College to deepen its legacy of supporting neurodiverse learners while broadening its impact in the community. With this opportunity, will conduct program planning and design activities to prepare neurodivergent individuals ages 18–35 for jobs in business administration, finance, accounting, marketing, logistics, and management information systems.