By Sam Chavez
Videographer
Education Credit Union opened the new Badger $mart Branch on the Amarillo College Washington Street Campus on Tuesday, Aug. 27th. The ECU’s Badger $mart Branch is located at 512 SW 22nd Ave., a block east of Washington Street and directly north of AC’s Dutton Hall.
The new Badger $mart Branch will provide the same financial services to ECU members that all other branches offer, but outside of a few management-level ECU team members, all the employees at the Badger $mart Branch will be AC students.
“Similar to our AmTech Branch and Buff $mart Branch in Canyon, we will be providing Amarillo College students hands-on experiences through internships,” said Jen Ufford, Senior Vice President of Member Experience at ECU.
ECU is committed to supporting education and providing students with real-world experiences according to CEO Marcus Smith. One of the ways the ECU will provide real-world experience is through paid student internships at the Badger $mart Branch starting at $15 per hour.
Dr. Frank Sobey, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives at AC says, “It will provide selected students with work-based learning opportunities to gain experience in the basic principles and practices of the financial services industry, training in the basics of teller operations and member services, and other skills required by the credit unions for their professional staff.”
The ECU branch will also offer financial literacy workshops and money management bootcamps to the entire AC community.
“These financial workshops springboard people to our financial coaching program, which is free to anybody, whether they come one time or fifty times, or if they’re a member or not,” Colten Hibbs, ECU financial health coordinator said,
The first workshops are scheduled for Sept. 10 and Nov. 5 from 11:45 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in the Badger Corner at the College Union Building (CUB). These sessions are designed to enhance financial literacy and provide students with essential money management skills.
Students may also make an appointment with a certified financial coach at any time, or submit a question and receive a reply within one business day.
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