Teamster Union Apprenticeship Career Pathway Named a Mutual of America 2017 Community Partnership Award Winner

NEW YORK, Nov. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Mutual of America announced today that the Teamster Union Apprenticeship Career Pathway was named a Merit Finalist award recipient of its 2017 Community Partnership Award competition.

The program was created by Civicorps, in partnership with Waste Management, Inc. Civicorps was founded 34 years ago to help men and women ages 18 to 26, who are disconnected from work and school, to earn their high-school diploma, gain job skills and enter family sustaining careers. In 2014, the Oakland City Council granted Civicorps Recycling and Waste Management a landmark garbage franchise agreement that includes a nonprofit job-training program.

The Pathway program helps young adults earn their high school diploma and, then, enter a recycling pre-apprenticeship training program. Once students earn their Class B driver's license, they are eligible to enter a union apprenticeship at Waste Management and, after two years, to obtain a Teamster union truck driving job.

"Many of the young people who come to Civicorps have faced extreme barriers in their lives, including poverty, homelessness and incarceration, yet all have a determination to turn their lives around and succeed," said Alan Lessik, Executive Director for Civicorps. "Our enterprise has quadrupled in size from servicing 273 small-business accounts to 1,039 in just three years, helping us to provide resilient youth an opportunity for real socioeconomic advancement."

About the Mutual of America Community Partnership Award

The Mutual of America Community Partnership Award annually honors the outstanding contributions that nonprofit organizations, in partnership with public, private and other social sector organizations, make to society. Since 1996, the Community Partnership Award has recognized 220 partnerships from cities and towns across America. To watch videos of all of the national award-winning programs, visit the Mutual of America Foundation Community Partnership Award channel on YouTube.

About Mutual of America

Mutual of America specializes in providing retirement products and services to organizations and their employees, as well as to individuals. Since 1945, Mutual of America has remained committed to offering plan sponsors, plan participants and individuals carefully selected, quality products and services at a competitive price and the personal attention they need to help build and preserve assets for a financially secure future. For more information, visit mutualofamerica.com.

SOURCE Mutual of America Life Insurance Company