Generation USA Graduates Largest Cohort of Online Students

WASHINGTON, Feb. 24, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Generation USA, a workforce development nonprofit transforming the education to employment ecosystem, offers reskilling and training programs at no cost to the unemployed with priority admissions for Black and Latinx communities, as well as women, announced its largest class of online graduates.

WHO: 171 students from Dallas, D.C., Seattle, and Miami, ages 18 to 40+ who participated in training programs led by Generation USA - a workforce development nonprofit organization - celebrated graduation and embarking on sustainable careers that will change the course of their lives. 

The graduates, many from underserved communities, persevered through challenging courses and overcame many obstacles along the way. They gained the technical and behavioral skills needed to embark on sustainable new careers in fields with many opportunities.

WHAT: Graduates participated in three programs: Jr. Web Developer, IT Help Desk, and Jr. Cloud Practitioner. A combined 86% of learners in both the cloud and web developer programs passed industry-recognized certification exams. More than 10% of graduates had job offers before the ceremony.

On average, graduates earn 3x what they were prior to the program. More than 50% of participants are women, nearly 40% have dependents, and 66% of learners identify as Black or African-American, and 55% have a high school education or less. 

Graduates not only learned the job-specific skills--they also learned "soft skills" that will help them navigate every aspect of life. They are confident, motivated, and ready to interview with employer partners across the country, while career coaches continue to provide support. 

"I'm feeling excited for my future. Thank you Generation USA for helping me achieve the beginnings of my dreams!" said Mira Winkel.

"It's awesome to be certified after an intense and informative training camp. I'm looking forward to putting this knowledge to good use," said Buddy Burlison.

Verizon is investing more than $44 million over several years in Generation to help close the opportunity gap for workers and increase access to digital skills. This initiative is part of Verizon's Citizen Verizon responsible business plan to prepare 500,000 individuals for jobs of the future by 2030.

Please contact [email protected] to speak with graduates about how the Generation training changed the trajectory of their lives and what comes next--a story to uplift the community.

About Generation

Generation is a nonprofit that transforms education to employment systems to prepare, place, and support people into life-changing careers that would otherwise be inaccessible. The global pandemic has led to an unprecedented surge in unemployment. Even before the pandemic, more than 75 million young adults were out of work globally, and three times as many were underemployed—and 375 million workers of all ages needed to learn new skills by 2030. At the same time, certain jobs remain in high-demand, and 40 percent of employers say a skills shortage leaves them with entry-level vacancies. To date, more than 38,000 people have graduated from Generation programs, which prepare them for meaningful careers in 14 countries. Generation works with more than 3,900 employer partners and many implementation partners and funders. For more, visit usa.generation.org. 

About Citizen Verizon
Citizen Verizon is the company's responsible business plan for economic, environmental and social advancement. Citizen Verizon empowers Verizon to deliver on its mission to move the world forward through action by expanding digital access and resources, protecting the climate, and ensuring people have the skills needed for jobs of the future. Through Citizen Verizon, and the key pillars of Digital Inclusion, Climate Protection and Human Prosperity, the company is committed to providing 10 million youths with digital skills training by 2030, supporting 1 million small businesses with resources to help them thrive in the digital economy by 2030, achieving carbon neutrality in its operations by 2035, and preparing 500,000 individuals for jobs of the future by 2030. Learn more at CitizenVerizon.com.    

Media Contact

Amy Kauffman
[email protected]

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Generation USA Logo
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Graduation Lineup
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SOURCE Generation USA

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