INROADS News

Oct 18, 2011

INROADS & IOTA PHI THETA FRATERNITY LAUNCH NATIONAL INITIATIVE TRAINING

INROADS & IOTA PHI THETA FRATERNITY LAUNCH NATIONAL INITIATIVE TRAINING 1,000+ UNDERSERVED YOUTH FOR CORPORATE CAREERS

Multi-City Pilot Program
Launches at University of Massachusetts –Boston October 24

INROADS, the nation’s largest non-profit source of salaried corporate internships for talented, diverse students, and Iota Phi Theta Fraternity, Inc. will launch a partnership to develop a nationwide collegiate pilot program to provide outreach, recruitment, professional mentorship, coaching, training and career development for underserved youth at the University of Massachusetts – Boston on October 24, 2011.

University of Massachusetts – Boston Chancellor Dr. J. Keith Motley will give the keynote address. His speech will focus on the parallels between his Iota experiences and the INROADS process for preparing underserved youth for corporate and community leadership, highlighting both to encourage college students to start building their careers now.

The kickoff event is from 1-4 p.m. at the UMass – Boston Campus Center, third floor, ballroom.   A. Motley will be joined by 20^thInternational Grand Vice-Polaris John Scott, Executive Director Kevin Bennettand INROADS President & CEO, Forest T. Harper, Jr. All brothers are encouraged to attend this kickoff event.

The INROADS Process of recruitment, year-round coaching, executive and professional training, executive mentoring and networking has graduated over 24,000 Alumni into corporate management careers including many CEO’s. INROADS multi-year Internships  yield full-time job offer rates of 74% with INROADS sponsoring companies across majors; 18% higher than the highest performing national category (Computer Science job offer rate is 56% according to the NACE national 2011 College Graduate Survey or 50,000 students). INROADS Corporate partners supporting this effort include UTC and Liberty Mutual.

 “We are very excited about this innovative, collaborative, community service and diversity partnership built on the development process from INROADS, the community network of Iota Phi Theta and the joint campus relationships that will drive student recruitment, professional mentorship and skills training for youth to help launch their careers,” according to INROADS CEO Forest Harper.

The goal of the Fraternity’s partnership with INROADS, is to bring this initiative to Iota chapters across the country.

 "The opportunity for our brothers to pursue careers through the INROADS partnership is a much deserved benefit to the Iota brotherhood,” 20^thInternational Grand Polaris Karl Price said. “In a struggling economy, we have an obligation to press open the doors of opportunity and offer a leg up for job candidates in today’s market. Iota is the only African-American fraternity that provides this head start for its members and I am proud to be a part of this pilot endeavor."

United in Purpose:

The INROADS-Iota partnership was born out of a shared community service vision. INROADS Mission is to develop and place talented underserved youth in business and industry and prepare them for corporate and community leadership. Iota Phi Theta is dedicated to the development and perpetuation of scholarship, leadership, citizenship, fidelity and brotherhood among all men. Both organizations’ founders were inspired by the 1963 March on Washington, and Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech amidst the challenges of the Civil Rights Era. Upon witnessing Dr. King, INROADS founder, Frank C. Carr, quit his executive job in corporate America and pledged to create an organization that would uplift Black, Hispanic and American Indian youth from the barrios to the ghettos and give them the education, training and skills needed to succeed in corporate America.