Why Bank of America is training high schoolers

Bank of America has partnered with the Liberty Science Center in Jersey City, New Jersey, to launch educational programs in local high schools. Students who complete the course will be extended job offers for positions related to emerging technologies by Bank of America.

Why should we care?
Bank of America sees a coming shift in job demand that could put serious pressure on the banking giant and its ability to deliver secure products and services to its clients. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, the need for information-security analysts will increase by 33% in the coming decade, translating to 47,000 new roles. But, at present, the US can only fill 68% of its cybersecurity jobs, leading to both skyrocketing wages—good for candidates, less so for employers—as well as heightened security vulnerabilities. "Simply put, there's just more STEM jobs than there are qualified candidates to fill them," said Alberto Garofalo, President of Bank of America New Jersey. Through its partnership with Liberty Science Center, Bank of America sees an opportunity to both offer job opportunities for students who might not otherwise go to college, while also building out a more promising and robust candidate pipeline. We may expect other banks and financial institutions to follow in Bank of America’s footsteps, creating a patchwork of STEM-related training programs across the US.