Building Pathways for Latino Professionals in Finance 

On Monday, October 28, Bank of America, College of Marin, and Canal Alliance hosted a career fair for graduates of the first cohorts of our Latinos in Finance (LIF) program. The LIF program, offered in partnership with UnidosUS and Bank of America, equips graduates with the skills needed to work in customer facing roles in banks and other financial sector institutions. The program is one of five career pathway training programs offered by Canal Alliance. 

At the job fair graduates from Canal Alliance’s first LIF cohorts met with possible employers from local banks, including: Bank of America, Redwood Credit Union, and First Federal Savings & Loan Association of San Rafael. While this job fair represents a practical and concrete step toward job placement for our graduates, it also represents progress for Marin — and for Latinos in Marin — more broadly. 

The Latino community often fears banks for reasons such as lack of documentation, fear of deportation, lack of confidence due to financial collapse in their country of origin, language barriers, racism, and more. The Latinos in Finance program takes a significant step toward unwinding those fears. By demystifying the skills needed to perform and secure roles within banks, the LIF programs puts banks on the map for our students, building awareness of the financial sector as a possible pathway for career employment and economic stability.  

Furthermore, our holistic approach connects graduates to industry professionals through hiring fairs and networking opportunities, bridging the gap between job seekers and employers. This will help workforce graduates to improve communication skills, and build professional networks, ultimately enabling them to access quality job opportunities that align with their abilities    

Additionally, we know that when culturally competent Spanish speakers are more available to Latino customers in a bank setting, the banks themselves become places the Latino community can enter, rely upon, ask their questions without fear, and imagine as places of employment. 

Canal Alliance is proud to advance racial equity in Marin, to alleviate fears within our Latino community, and advance financial security for our graduates.