Loyola co-founds BridgesAlliance to provide real-world career experience to students

To provide additional support to students during a global pandemic, Loyola has joined the BridgesAlliance, a growing network of more than 50 universities worldwide launched by PeopleGrove. Members of the BridgesAlliance have pledged to connect students to meaningful experiential learning and open doors to non-traditional career opportunities.

 “Our three-year partnership with PeopleGrove has helped generate thousands of interactions for our Greyhound community within the Loyola Connect platform,” said Jim Dickinson, Ph.D., assistant vice president for career services. “This new BridgesAlliance will go beyond networking and career advice, allowing our students and recent alumni to gain real-world project experience with the guidance of caring professionals. During such economic uncertainty, this initiative is particularly important to supporting first-generation college students and those who do not have deep professional networks within their families. We’re proud to work with PeopleGrove on this effort, ensuring all of our students have access to valuable, skill-building project experiences.”

This partnership will help Loyola students receive virtual internship and microproject-based experience with real companies. Students will be able to use the skills they’ve learned in the classroom and through career services in a professional setting.

In addition to Loyola, founding members of the BridgesAlliance include Johns Hopkins University, Georgia State University, University of Miami, Drew University and Wellesley College, including many more. These institutions will leverage their networks, including alumni, parents, supporters and corporate partners, to provide students with real-world career experiences. 
 
“Hiring freezes and the withdrawal of jobs and internships are just a couple of challenges today’s students and recent graduates are facing. We must tap into the wealth of knowledge and innovation that exists in higher education,” said Adam Saven, co-founder and CEO at PeopleGrove. “Universities from across the world have banded together to form BridgesAlliance and will work to identify new ways to get graduates into the workforce at a time when their skills are needed most.”

PeopleGrove helps higher education institutions bring personalized, connection-focused communities to students and alumni. PeopleGrove created Bridges as an online platform to empower students and universities to tap into their network of alumni, families and friends for short-term project-based work. BridgesAlliance magnifies the power of Bridges, providing access to real-world work experience shared across PeopleGrove’s network of innovative institutions.

To learn more about BridgesAlliance, please visit bridgesalliance.org.