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Stories

This Program Helped 147,000 People Climb the Economic Ladder. And It’s About to Get Better.

JPMorgan Chase’s New Skills at Work initiative, which has helped thousands of people obtain the skills they need to compete in today’s workforce, is targeting the future of work with a new $350M investment.

Bunita Cosey struggled with unemployment after the recession. Two years later, she was making ends meet as a temp and a ride-sharing driver, but knew she was meant for more.

So Cosey searched and found a role as a community health worker at Advocate Health Care. A year ago, she learned about a JPMorgan Chase-supported training and development program at Advocate that helps employees pivot to higher-paying jobs within the healthcare industry.

Cosey joined the second class of the Advocate Workforce Initiative where she learned leadership and administrative skills and explored different roles and departments across the healthcare employer’s system. Shortly after graduating from the program, Cosey found a new role in human resources helping her fellow Advocate employees access and navigate their benefits.

 

By 2020, Advocate will have trained more than 1,000 people for better healthcare jobs. They are just one of more than 700 partners JPMorgan Chase has worked with over the last five years through New Skills at Work.

Over the last five years, New Skills at Work has helped nearly 150,000 individuals in more than 80 communities around the world build the skills needed for in-demand jobs. The initiative, which started in 2013 as a $250 million commitment, grew to $300 million. It’s offered life-changing opportunities for individuals like Cosey by bringing people, programs and nonprofits together with employers seeking talent.

Read more about the individuals who inspire New Skills at Work:

The Next Episode

As the initial five-year program draws to a close, JPMorgan Chase is focused on applying the lessons learned to the next phase of its investment in jobs and skills.

Through the new $350 million, five-year investment, JPMorgan Chase is preparing for the future of work and helping meet the growing demand for skilled workers. The new global initiative focuses on creating economic mobility and career pathways for underserved populations, and, for the first time, will forecast emerging skill sets for employees and proactively develop new training programs to prepare the bank’s own workforce for changes in technology and business.

“The world of work is changing at a rapid pace, with far reaching and wide ranging implications,” said Jennie Sparandara, head of global workforce initiatives in Global Philanthropy at JPMorgan Chase. “Stories from people like Bunita and others show us the difference a good job can make – and the powerful effects we see when community and business work together to build solutions. This will be all the more critical as we approach the future of work. In the next phase of New Skills, I’m most excited about lighting a new path – with innovative partners around the world – to lift up families and communities for years to come.”