COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 11, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The KeyBank
Business Boost & Build program, powered by JumpStart, has
awarded $100,000 in funding to Per
Scholas Inc. in Columbus through
the KeyBank Center for Technology, Innovation and Inclusive
Growth.
Per Scholas was founded more than 20 years ago with a mission to
open doors to transformative technology careers for individuals
from overlooked communities. This funding will help Per Scholas
build a tech workforce collaborative called "On-Ramps to Tech
Careers" to increase the pipeline of students from underrepresented
groups into the Columbus tech
workforce. The work will focus on women, people of color and young
adults who have not followed traditional pathways to the
careers.
Important partners in the On-Ramps to Tech Careers Collaborative
include Columbus State Community
College, Jewish Family Services, the City of Columbus (via the My Brother's Keeper
initiative), TECH Corps and the Women's Center for Economic
Opportunity.
"We are grateful for the support from the KeyBank Business Boost
& Build program and excited about the impact this funding will
have on our work." Said Per Scholas Managing Director Toni Cunningham. "The tech economy in
Columbus is growing rapidly and
now is the time to ensure the workforce reflects the full diversity
of the wider community in Central
Ohio."
"We are proud to support Per Scholas in their mission to
diversify the tech industry and create more opportunities for
traditionally underrepresented groups," said KeyBank Central Ohio
District President Melissa
Ingwersen. "The workforce collaborative they will be leading
has the potential to not only diversify the Columbus tech ecosystem but also strengthen it
significantly by including a more diverse range of skills, voices
and experiences."
Funded by a grant from the KeyBank Foundation, the KeyBank
Business Boost & Build program is designed to stimulate
economic growth in Ohio and Upstate New York. In Ohio, the program powers the KeyBank Center
for Technology, Innovation and Inclusive Growth, which is designed
to accelerate the success of women and minorities as entrepreneurs
of high growth firms as well as connect women, minorities and those
in rural communities to career opportunities in growing, globally
competitive small businesses.
About Per Scholas
Per Scholas is a national nonprofit that drives positive and proven
social change in communities across the country. Through rigorous
and tuition-free technology training and professional development,
we prepare motivated and curious adults who are unemployed or
underemployed for successful careers as technology professionals,
and we create onramps to businesses in need of their talents. Today
we provide our solutions in eight cities across the country:
Atlanta, GA; Greater Boston, MA; Greater Cincinnati, OH; Columbus, OH; Dallas, TX; the National Capital Region;
Newark, NJ and New York, NY. To date, Per Scholas has trained
10,000 individuals, helping them build lasting, life changing
skills and careers in technology. Learn more at perscholas.org.
About KeyCorp
KeyCorp's roots trace back 190 years to Albany, New York. Headquartered in Cleveland,
Ohio, Key is one of the nation's
largest bank-based financial services companies, with assets of
approximately $141.5 billion at March 31, 2019. Key
provides deposit, lending, cash management, and investment services
to individuals and businesses in 15 states under the name KeyBank
National Association through a network of over 1,100 branches and
more than 1,500 ATMs. Key also provides a broad range of
sophisticated corporate and investment banking products, such as
merger and acquisition advice, public and private debt and equity,
syndications and derivatives to middle market companies in selected
industries throughout the United States under the KeyBanc
Capital Markets trade name. For more information,
visit https://www.key.com/. KeyBank is Member FDIC.
About JumpStart Inc.
JumpStart is a nationally recognized investing, entrepreneurial
support and economic development organization dedicated to
unlocking the full potential of diverse and ambitious entrepreneurs
to economically transform entire communities. For more information,
visit www.jumpstartinc.org and
follow @JumpStartInc on Twitter.
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SOURCE JumpStart Inc.