Citizens, LISC Team up to Help Workers Build Digital Skills That Open Doors to Strong Jobs, Economic Opportunity
March 29 2023 - 10:00AM
Business Wire
The Citizens Charitable Foundation announced today a $1.25
million grant to the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC)
to fuel digital inclusion in historically marginalized communities,
helping residents build the skills they need to compete for
jobs.
“Citizens is committed to helping our communities thrive, and
equitable access to digital literacy is key to economic vitality,”
said Bruce Van Saun, Chairman and CEO, Citizens Financial Group.
“We are proud to work with LISC to ensure that people in
historically marginalized communities are able to build the skills
they need to compete for jobs now and in the future.”
Supporting work at eight LISC Financial Opportunity Center®
(FOC) partners, the funding will help launch and expand digital
services that prepare people for growth industries, including the
information technology field. LISC FOCs are community-based
programs that integrate services related to employment training and
career coaching, job placement, financial coaching, and wrap-around
social support like child-care, housing and transportation so that
people can achieve long-term financial stability.
“Basic digital skills and access to technology and the internet
are essential to participate in society and the economy,” said
Katrin Sirje Kärk, LISC’s director of workforce innovations.
“Advancing digital equity is a key LISC strategy for closing racial
wealth gaps, and this grant from Citizens will help us embed
digital skills training as a core component of the FOC experience,
helping people build a strong career pathway for the future.”
The $1.25 million grant from Citizens builds on a pilot program,
also supported by the bank, that tested approaches to bridging the
digital skills gap. The grant is supporting one-on-one training,
digital literacy workshops, ongoing digital coaching, and job
training for the information technology field.
Since FOC services are delivered by experienced community-based
nonprofits, the digital training is tailored to local economic and
employment conditions, with a particular focus on people and
communities where job loss, discrimination and underinvestment have
limited opportunities. Importantly, the experience gained from
these efforts can then be replicated throughout LISC’s national
network of more than 120 FOCs, which serve 25,000 people each
year.
The funding directly benefits people who face the steepest
structural barriers to opportunity. More than 83 percent of FOC
clients are people of color, and 60 percent are women. They take
advantage of a range of FOC programs—including the Bridges to
Career Opportunities program, which focuses on foundational skills
like math and reading, as well as technical training—so they can
move into better-paying jobs and build a more stable financial
future.
Citizens has been a long-time supporter of LISC and FOCs, with
more than $4 million in funding since 2018. The new digital
inclusion grant is part of the bank’s broad efforts on workforce
development to address critical economic needs, create stronger
communities, and build a culture of inclusion, including
investments in minority-led small businesses and nonprofits as well
as partnerships that bridge the digital divide.
About Citizens Financial Group,
Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and
largest financial institutions, with $226.7 billion in assets as of
December 31, 2022. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island,
Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking
products and services to individuals, small businesses,
middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions.
Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to
them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored
advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides
an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a
full-service customer contact center and the convenience of
approximately 3,400 ATMs and approximately 1,100 branches in 14
states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and
services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth
management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking,
Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and
solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury
management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity
risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate
finance, merger and acquisition, and debt and equity capital
markets capabilities. More information is available at
www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or
Facebook.
About LISC
LISC is one of the country’s largest community development
organizations, helping forge vibrant, resilient communities across
America. We work with residents and partners to close systemic gaps
in health, wealth and opportunity and advance racial equity so that
people and places can thrive. Since our founding in 1979, LISC has
invested $29.7 billion to create more than 489,000 affordable homes
and apartments, develop 81.5 million square feet of retail,
community and educational space and help tens of thousands of
people find employment and improve their finances. For more, visit
www.lisc.org.
About FOCs
LISC’s Financial Opportunity Center® (FOC) partners provide
one-on-one coaching services that help low- to moderate-income
people build smart money habits, access higher paying jobs and
focus on the financial bottom line. LISC has a network of more than
120 FOC partners across the country embedded in local community
organizations known for their history of providing quality
services. Since 2011, FOC sites have served nearly 100,000
community members in 25 states.
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Eric Donovan 781-375-0039 eric.donovan@citizensbank.com
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