NARRATOR: The workplace is evolving - and with it, the demand for technology professionals is growing.
LORI: There's a broad need for different types of skills, especially in technology, to fill the jobs of the future.
NARRATOR: But in Chicago, many residents don't have the required skills to qualify for in-demand jobs-even if they have four-year degrees.
LORI: It's not just about degrees anymore. It's really about skills.
NARRATOR: To help close this gap, JPMorgan Chase is working closely with the City Colleges of Chicago and the Chicago Apprentice Network on an apprenticeship program.
NARRATOR: Together, they're preparing students with in-demand skills and connecting them with employers looking for qualified candidates.
NARRATOR: This is Smarter Faster Cities: Exploring ways to create new paths to opportunity.
NARRATOR: Practicing tech skills like coding and software engineering on the job is invaluable experience.
IMANI: At work they give you the whole breakdown of coding-like you see how it works, how front-end development connects with the back-end development. In school, you don't learn that at all.
LUIS: Since I joined this program, I have gained a lot more interest on software engineering than I thought. Just been kind of a passion that's been growing since I'm doing it every day.
NARRATOR: Learning these skills early in a career can really help.
LORI: They get to pursue high-paid careers in technology, and I think it really helps them build confidence in themselves.
LUIS: I think this apprenticeship program has definitely made me more confident about myself and as a software engineer. I could be able to walk into a room and be able to solve a problem that's presented to me.
NARRATOR: And the apprenticeship program is helping employers, too.
LORI: We are very committed to Chicago as a core place where we recruit technology talent from. We're really seeing this as a great promise to source additional talent into the company for the future.
LORI: For us, success in Chicago looks like these individuals becoming long-term employees of JPMorgan Chase and that we're actually able to grow the number of apprentices that we can take through this program NARRATOR: JPMorgan Chase is helping build career pathways for residents and employers across the city.
NARRATOR: Since 2017, over 2,800 people in Chicago have participated in skills development and job training supported by JPMorgan Chase, part of the company's $40 million commitment to expanding economic opportunity in the area.
IMANI: I feel like this apprenticeship is one of the many great opportunities Chicago has.
IMANI: The fact that I get the opportunity to build my network is one thing. Another thing is I got to find a career that I never expected to be in.
IMANI: This program pretty much opened my eyes to what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.
