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Immigrant Professionals Fellowship
African Bridge Network (ABN), in collaboration with the Mayor’s Office of Workforce Development (OWD), Commonwealth Corporation, Eastern Bank Foundation, and the Clowes Fund, is excited to begin recruitment for the 2024 Cohort of the Immigrant Professionals Fellowship.
The Fellowship is a training and work-placement program targeting foreign-trained professionals for the healthcare, research, and finance fields. The program will target skilled immigrants residing in the Greater Boston, Metro North, Brockton, and Worcester areas.
This 3-month program is a direct effort to address the racial and economic barriers that skilled immigrants face in the U.S. labor market. The initiative seeks to place 40 talented, diverse, and multilingual immigrant professionals from different regions of the world in a paid fellowship in a fast-paced work environment with financial, healthcare, or research employers. Through training and a 3-month fellowship, participants will gain the needed work experience to access jobs in their industry and advance their careers following the fellowship.
Nature of the Fellowship
Fellows will receive upskilled training for their respective track and six-week workforce readiness training at no cost as part of the fellowship requirements. Thereafter, fellows will access paid work experience of 30 hours per week in program-specific positions with a host employer.
The ultimate goal of the fellowship is to provide upskilled training and U.S. workplace experience in finance, research, or non-clinical positions in healthcare to enable them to advance their careers after the fellowship. The fellowship will either be in-person or hybrid.
The Four Fellowship Tracks
Click on each fellowship track to learn more about the track.
Fellows with a background or interest in careers in finance will receive training in project management and a six-week workplace readiness training by ABN prior to their placement with New York Life Insurance. Their placement will be in a Financial Professional. The ideal fellow must have an intermediate level of both oral and written communication skills and must possess excellent analytical skills with the ability to function independently in a fast-paced environment. Learn more about the position here.
Fellows with a background in finance, legal, or interest in careers in healthcare will receive a six-week workplace readiness training by ABN and complete a Research Administration course by Emmanuel College. Their placement will be in project coordination positions in the Research Administration field, handling pre-award and post-award grant management duties. Watch this video to understand the Research Administrator role.
Fellows with a background or interest in careers in healthcare will receive training in project management and a six-week workplace readiness training by ABN prior to their placement in a non-clinical position with a healthcare employer. Their placement will be in project coordination positions that align with their career goals.
Fellows with background or interested in careers in healthcare will receive a six-week workplace readiness training by ABN and complete a Research Coordinator training. Their placement will be in project coordination positions in the research field. Visit here to better understand the research coordinator position.
Selected professionals will:
- Receive intensive 8 weeks of upskilled training and 6-week workplace readiness training prior to their placement. Research Administrator Track will receive eight weeks of intensive training in research administration
- Receive individual career coaching during and after placement
- Gain U.S. working experience in a fast-paced professional setting with a renowned employer
- Participate in a paid (stipend) three-month fellowship, 30 hours a week for $20/hour
- Be in a strong position to be employed after completion of the fellowship
- Grow in self-confidence and expand their network for professional development
Qualifications
Selected candidates will need to provide proof of the following:
- Ability to legally work in the U.S. (this program does not sponsor visas)
- Commitment of 30 hours per week for the fellowship period
- Some past higher educational training or work-specific training (such as college exposure/past work experience)
- Must be willing to have foreign degree evaluated through WES
- English Language Proficiency
- Residency in one of the following – City of Boston, Greater Boston, Metro North, Brockton, or the Worcester region in Massachusetts
You can still receive free career development support even if you don’t qualify for this program. Learn more at www.africanbn.org/career.
Healthcare Employer Sites
Research Employer Sites
- Harvard Medical School
Finance Employer Sites
- New York Life Insurance
2024 Cohort Information Session
Program Timeline
Click on each of the dates to learn more.
The application period starts on March 12, 2024, and ends on April 30, 2024.
Screen interviews with the ABN staff and employer partners.
Trainings:
The trainings are mandated and would be offered in the evenings or on Saturday morning.
- Some fellows attend a virtual 8-week Research Administration course offered by Emmanuel College.
- Some fellows attend a virtual 8-week Project Management course.
- Some fellows attend virtual training in clinical research coordination.
- All candidates receive virtual training in the U.S. workplace readiness.
Fellowship with an employer host placement begins.
Fellowship with an employer host placement ends.
To apply for a fellowship placement, please fill out the application form by April 30, 2024.
The form includes a long and important question — How will this fellowship help you in your career development goals (200 – 250 words)? — We recommend that you take time to write your response to this question before filling out this application.
Successful applicants will be invited for a screening interview by April 30, 2024. Please direct any questions to Maddy Crudele, Programs Coordinator, at maddy@africanbn.org.
This Program is Supported By
