Bunker Hill Community College Hosts International Exchange Students Through U.S. Department of State’s Community College Initiative Program

Bunker Hill Community College Hosts International Exchange Students Through

U.S. Department of State’s Community College Initiative Program

BOSTON, August 31, 2017—Bunker Hill Community College (BHCC) is pleased to be one of ten campuses across eight states to welcome international exchange participants to campus for the 2017-2018 academic year as part of the Community College Initiative (CCI) Program. The students will study Early Childhood Education, Fire and Safety and Entrepreneurship.

Administered by Northern Virginia Community College on behalf of the Community College Consortium, the U.S. Department of State’s CCI Program is designed to build participants’ technical skills, enhance leadership capabilities and strengthen English language proficiency.

Each student participates in a one-year non-degree academic program in workforce development fields at a U.S. community college with opportunities to participate in professional internships, service learning and community engagement activities to forge relationships with citizens of the United States and other countries.

Participants return home with a deeper understanding of U.S. culture and with improved technical and vocational skills to contribute to the economic development of their home communities. In 2016-2017, CCI participants contributed nearly $1.3 million in service to local communities, while helping to internationalize community colleges in the United States (IndependentSector.org).

Now in its tenth year, the CCI Program has hosted more than 2,800 participants from 21 countries. This year’s participants are from Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, Dominican Republic, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Pakistan, South Africa and Turkey. Participants are recruited from underserved and underrepresented communities, particularly women.