New Report Shows AmeriCorps Prepares Members for Careers
AmeriCorps alumni credit their
service for exposing them to real world, inspiring civic engagement
WASHINGTON,
D.C. – A resoundingly high number of individuals who have served in AmeriCorps
believe the national service program has been valuable in advancing their
careers.
The findings
come from the Corporation for National and Community Service, the federal
agency that administers AmeriCorps. The report, the first of its kind in nearly
a decade, documented how AmeriCorps alumni acquired skills and experiences that
have helped them in the workplace and inspired their community involvement.
“AmeriCorps
members are an indispensable resource for nonprofits, communities, and the
individuals they serve,” said Wendy Spencer, CEO of the Corporation for
National and Community Service. “This report is further proof of what we
already know: national service can be equally as rewarding for those who serve.
While they serve others, AmeriCorps members also expand opportunity for
themselves – gaining skills, experience, and college money to help them
jumpstart their careers.”
AmeriCorps
alumni surveyed indicated that there were substantial benefits to participating
in AmeriCorps and that their service was a defining personal and professional
experience.
-
Nine
out of 10 alumni agreed that they could solve difficult problems, accomplish
goals, handle unexpected events and unforeseen situations, remain calm, and identify
multiple solutions.
-
Alumni
rated their current skills as higher than prior to their AmeriCorps service,
with the greatest gains found in their ability to handle unexpected events and
unforeseen situations.
- Overall,
80 percent of alumni believe their service experience was valuable in advancing
their careers.
The
report also found that the majority of AmeriCorps alumni continue to serve
their community after their service ends and report high levels of civic
self-efficacy, or the ability to deal with community problems by taking
action. Alumni also reported that their
AmeriCorps experience increased their ability to work with individuals
different from themselves. In addition, AmeriCorps alumni believe their service
exposed them to new ideas and ways of seeing the world, and that during their
term of service they learned more about the real world.
The
report’s findings add to a growing chorus championing AmeriCorps, and other
national service, alumni as exceptional job candidates. In 2014, as part of the
20th anniversary of AmeriCorps, President Obama announced Employers of National
Service, a presidential initiative designed to build a talent pipeline, which
connects AmeriCorps and Peace Corps alumni with leading employers.
Since
its inception, more than 350 companies, nonprofits, and public agencies have
signed on as Employers of National Service including Delta Air Lines, Disney,
Comcast, MasterCard, NBC Universal, CSX, Sodexo, Miami-Dade County Public
Schools, the American Red Cross, and Habitat for Humanity, the cities of
Nashville, Philadelphia, and Phoenix, the states of Montana and Virginia, NASA,
and the U.S. Departments of Agriculture and State.
AmeriCorps
engages more than 75,000 members in intensive service annually to serve through
nonprofit, faith-based, and community organizations at 25,000 locations across
the country through organizations such as Habitat for Humanity, City Year,
Teach For America, YouthBuild, and Public Allies. These members help
communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers
for the organizations they serve.
In exchange
for a year of service, AmeriCorps members receive a Segal AmeriCorps Education
Award, currently equivalent to the amount of the Pell Grant, to pay for college
or pay back students loans. A growing number of colleges and universities will
match the AmeriCorps education award – in full, or in part, for students
attending the university. In addition, AmeriCorps members can apply their
year(s) of service toward the U.S. Department of Education’s Public Service
Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).
Since
1994, more than 980,000 Americans have provided more than 1.3 billion hours of
service to their communities and country through AmeriCorps, earning more than
$3.1 billion in Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards.
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