Philadelphia Community Organization Receives Funding Through The Citi Foundation And LISC To Help Train Workers For Growing Job Sectors

PHILADELPHIA, March 18, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Citi Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) today announced new funding through the Bridges to Career Opportunities initiative (Bridges)  to help connect unemployed and underemployed people in Philadelphia to quality jobs in growth industries.

The District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund has been awarded $170,000 and technical support to provide services that help job seekers increase their incomes, improve their credit and raise their standards of living. Services include skills training and career development, as well as personal finance coaching, continuing education courses (to strengthen math and reading skills), and resources to help job seekers secure transportation, child care and housing arrangements, which can be impediments to career mobility.

The new funding is part of a $10 million three-year national effort by the Citi Foundation and LISC to expand the reach of Bridges and spur economic opportunity for thousands of families across the country, including an estimated 250 in Philadelphia.

"Partnerships are critical to the workforce development system as we prepare individuals for the jobs of today and tomorrow," said Mayor Jim Kenney. "I applaud the Citi Foundation and LISC in partnering to expand the Bridges to Career Opportunities program in Philadelphia. This partnership supports the great work of District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund, and aligns with many of the recommendations set forth in the citywide workforce development strategy, Fueling Philadelphia's Talent Engine. I am thrilled that this investment in the Bridges program will help residents qualify for middle-skill jobs in growing industries that need trained workers, and I look forward to seeing the results," the mayor said.

The District 1199C Training & Upgrading Fund is a unique labor-management partnership that connects workers to jobs in various industries. For example, the Fund is partnering with Hospitality Union Local 274's Philadelphia Hospitality Academy to train entry-level and middle-skill culinary services workers—with particular focus on young people, helping them gain certifications, and then placing them in jobs with local employer partners.

"With support from the Citi Foundation and LISC, District 1199C will be able to create a new career pathway that trains unemployed students for employment as credentialed cooks with immediate employment in family-sustaining jobs," said Cheryl Feldman, executive director of District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund. "Providing these students with wrap-around supports, including career and financial coaching, will help ensure their success."

The District 1199C Training and Upgrading Fund is among 40 community-based nonprofits to be awarded funding through this program (a full listing of participating organizations can be found here.) Notably, more than half of the sites, including this one, are located in Opportunity Zones, a federal incentive to increase investments in low-wealth communities as part of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017.

"The demands of today's U.S. job market are playing out in different ways for American workers and we need to support those who are being negatively impacted by the forces that are shaping the modern economy," said Ed Skyler, executive vice president for global public affairs at Citi and chair of the Citi Foundation. "By connecting programs that provide not only education and skills building, but support services for family and housing needs, we're helping American workers who have been or are in danger of being displaced achieve success and contribute to their communities."

The majority of people who enter the Bridges program are either unemployed or working in minimum wage jobs and testing at a 6th-8th grade education level. After Bridges, more than three-quarters of participants move on to occupational skills training, and 64 percent achieve industry-recognized credentials—opening doors to living wage jobs they would not otherwise be able to access and putting them on career pathways with the opportunity for ongoing advancement. In the last two years alone, more than 3,000 training participants across the country have been placed in jobs.

"Collaborative relationships between the city's employers and partners like District 1199C and the Hospitality Academy enable residents to participate in Philadelphia's growing economy," said Andrew Frishkoff, LISC Philadelphia executive director. "We are grateful for the support of the Citi Foundation to allow us to meet residents where they are and support them along their journey to career success and financial stability."

The Citi Foundation's investment in Bridges builds on a decades-long relationship between the Foundation and LISC. It also signals an expansion of Citi Foundation's Pathways to Progress initiative beyond youth-focused career readiness to provide adult job seekers the full range of services needed for long-term employment.

About the Citi Foundation

The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant cities. The Citi Foundation's "More than Philanthropy" approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more information, visit www.citifoundation.com.

About LISC

With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. Since 1979, LISC has invested $20 billion to build or rehab 400,500 affordable homes and apartments and develop 66.8 million square feet of retail, community and educational space. To learn more, visit www.lisc.org.

Contact

LISC
Media
Jessica Collazo, 215-923-3801
[email protected]

Citi
Media
Elizabeth Kelly, 212-559-2477
[email protected]

SOURCE LISC

Related Links

http://www.lisc.org

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