MAPLE GROVE, Minn., Sept. 27, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based member-owned financial cooperative, hosted a summer youth intern through the Brooklyn Bridge Alliance for Youth BrookLynk Program.
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/28bac312-d4b4-45ed-8f9b-775033659c59
BrookLynk is a summer employment work-readiness training program responding to community needs, modeled after Step-Up Minneapolis, a nationally recognized youth employment program. BrookLynk connects youth ages 14-19 that live or attend school in Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park, who face barriers to employment, with local business partners for a 6-8 week internship. The program offers youth the opportunities to learn essential job skills, gain valuable work experience and develop a professional social network to help develop pathways to college and career and prepare for tomorrow’s skilled workforce.
BrookLynk piloted the program in 2015 connecting with over 200 young people for Work Readiness Training and successfully coordinated 29 paid summer internships with local employers. This year they doubled their efforts, and matched over 65 interns with summer employment positions.
TopLine hosted its BrookLynk intern, who will be a senior this year at Osseo Senior High School, from mid-June through August, culminating in an achievement celebration at North Hennepin Community College with the program’s other interns, parents and community business partners. TopLine’s intern assisted in multiple departments, including loan servicing, branch operations and marketing, and provided office administration services, assisted with making banking transactions and learned cash handling skills, among other experiences.
Each week of the TopLine internship focused on honing professional skills —including professional attitude, time management, team work ethics, problem solving, verbal communication and a skill of the intern’s choice.
“We are so proud of our BrookLynk summer intern’s progress and invaluable contributions to the TopLine team,” said Vicki Roscoe Erickson, Vice President, Marketing & Communications, TopLine Federal Credit Union. “TopLine is committed to supporting members of our neighborhood community—and that includes teaching sound financial literacy tools for future success. We were so pleased to partner with BrookLynk to set our intern up for future success with solid professional experience and sound financial knowledge, and we look forward to being involved again next year.”
BrookLynk and its business partners are committed to building pathways to college and careers. BrookLynk partners understand future workforce gaps and ensure that youth are prepared to be tomorrow’s skilled workforce. For more information, visit http://www.brooklynsallianceforyouth.org/203/BrookLynk, or https://www.facebook.com/BrookLynkWorks.
TopLine Federal Credit Union, a Twin Cities-based credit union, is Minnesota’s 13th largest, with assets of more than $385 million. Established in 1935, the not-for-profit cooperative offers a complete line of financial services, as well as auto and home insurance, from its five branch locations — in Bloomington, Brooklyn Park, Maple Grove, Plymouth and in St. Paul’s Como Park — as well as by phone, mobile app and online at www.TopLinecu.com. Membership is available to anyone who lives, works, worships, attends school or volunteers in Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott or Washington Counties and their immediate family members. Visit us on our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/TopLineFederalCreditUnion. To learn more about TopLine’s Youth Financial Literacy sessions, visit https://www.toplinecu.com/financial-education/youth-financial-literacy.