CHECKING IN ON
Three hp life Students the platform during the pandemic to learn social media marketing and other skills that help people running small businesses and working online .
“ The inclusivity around entrepreneurship is so powerful ,” Malejki says . “ I spoke with an HP LIFE student in South Africa who said , ‘ I am not an entrepreneur because it ’ s sexy . I am an entrepreneur because I have no opportunities in the existing job market .’ We ’ re able to hear from so many different voices that we would not have been able to without a platform like this .”
Creating more inclusive economic growth and opportunities is the driving ethos behind JPMorgan Chase ’ s New Skills at Work initiative . The program , which started in 2013 , helps workers meet the growing demand for digital skills , with a special focus on creating economic mobility and career pathways for underserved populations . JPMorgan Chase relaunched New Skills at Work last year with a new $ 350 million investment .
“ Our ability to support greater access , more inclusive economic growth , and more inclusive economic opportunity is really a driving ethos for our team ,” says Sparandara about the initiative .
FOR BUSINESSES , PARTNERS ARE KEY
In New Skills at Work , JPMorgan Chase works with organizations in local communities like community colleges , technology boot camps , and workforce-development organizations to provide skills training .
“ The secret sauce is the partnership that brings together business , the social sector , and the nonprofit sector to work collaboratively ,” Sparandara says .
For Microsoft , nonprofit partners are essential because some job seekers need support that goes beyond what a digital platform can typically provide .
“ This pandemic has turned into another crisis — an economic crisis and an unemployment crisis that is disproportionately impacting target audiences that we really care about : young people , women , people from racial and ethnic minorities , lower-wage earners ,” says Santa Lucia . “ That ’ s why we launched a dedicated funding opportunity to empower nonprofits that work with adversely impacted populations , including the Black and African American community , and are working with organizations such as Goodwill , Upwardly Global , and the Public Libraries Association to help reach communities impacted the most .”
HP LIFE is exploring partnerships around the world to meet people where they are in their learning journey , like collaborating with an African telco company that shares a similar ambition to teach coding skills . Malejki says leading companies are increasingly working together to make significant progress on sustainable development goals .
“ There are so many people out there who have creative ways to solve some of the most pressing challenges of our time ,” she says . “ Partners are a core part of our business . With programs like HP LIFE , we ’ re demonstrating how we ’ re making a positive , lasting impact on underserved communities , in addition to product donations . We think about who we work with . We want to listen and hear what they actually need .”
Ultimately , companies like HP , Microsoft , and JPMorgan Chase understand that working with nonprofits and individuals seeking new skills is an opportunity for them to learn and create opportunities for their own businesses , as well .
“ Our technology is only going to be as good as how diverse the developers are ,” Santa Lucia says . “ If we ’ re going to really be able to leverage technology to solve the world ’ s biggest problems , we need to have lots of different perspectives in developing that .”
Kawkab AlMousa
WHERE Azraq Refugee Camp , Jordan
COURSES Business Communications , Design Thinking , Success Mindset , Growth Engine for Your Business , Effective Leadership
“ Learning skills is absolutely essential to succeed in any work . A person must always develop his or her skills and not stop learning in order to keep pace with world development .”
Mónica Amaro Santos
WHERE Lerma , Mexico
COURSE Success Mentality
“ It will help me strengthen my entrepreneurship skills by learning from other successful businesses . Acquiring new skills helps you stay up to date , generates a better quality of life , and allows me to help others .”
María Irene Orihuela de la Rosa
WHERE Ocoyoacac , Mexico
COURSES Success Mentality , Basic Concepts of Finance , Your Target Audience , Effective Leadership
“ The classes will enable me to strengthen my knowledge and get rid of the fear of starting a business .”
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