Who is served: CUNY graduates

Number of participants served annually: 173 participants in 2018 

Location: Manhattan 

Frequency/Duration: Monday–Friday, 9 a.m.–4 p.m., 12 weeks  

Eligibility Criteria: Must be a New York City resident between 16–30 years old, hold with a CUNY bachelor’s degree who is unemployed or underemployed (making less than $45,000 a year) and a first-generation college grad, financial aid recipient, and/or underrepresented minority. 

Application process: Online application  

Curriculum: Digital marketing, data analytics 

Skill level: Entry-level  

Outcomes: 80 percent of alumni begin full-time positions with 1 year. They also receive certifications in Google Ads, Google Analytics, and Facebook Blueprint. 

Partnerships: Microsoft and Google 

Cost: Free, pays a daily stipend for transportation and lunch  

Sources of funding: Foundations (29 percent), corporations (36 percent), and individual giving (35 percent) 

What makes this program stand out? COOP was built to help CUNY graduates overcome underemployment and launch careers through digital marketing and data analytics training. The program focuses on tech careers outside of software engineering because “the barrier to entry is lower” and opens students up to the world of digital media advertising.  

COOP’s digital marketing and data analytics training courses are broken down into “head,” “heart,” and “hustle.” Students go through a total of 200 hours of training: 100 hours focused on hard skills (head), 50 hours focused on developing your personal narrative (heart), and 50 hours dedicated to the job search (hustle).  

What do participants need to succeed? Participants need support from peers, which is why the program is built around a network of alumni who not only help foster career connections, but also often return to the program to guide cohorts through the 200-hour training. Dedicated alumni are 1 reason the program is able to offer training at no cost to participants. 

What does the organization need? More support recruiting CUNY students