Published 05-22-23
Submitted by Comcast Corporation
PHILADELPHIA, May 22, 2023 /CSRwire/ - Comcast Corporation announced a total award of more than $25 million to hundreds of community organizations to help provide the resources and support needed for building a stronger, more equitable workforce.
Furthering a deep and longstanding commitment to advancing equity and opportunity, Comcast’s funding will help provide skills building, job training and other career development offerings for the full spectrum of learners, from high school students to adults. Today’s announcement is part of Project UP, Comcast’s $1 billion commitment to help advance digital equity and build a future of Unlimited Possibilities.
“When more people across our country are given the full set of tools and opportunity to secure good jobs, we change much more than just one person’s life. We create a butterfly effect that reaches across communities – and our entire economy,” said Dalila Wilson-Scott, EVP & Chief Diversity Officer for Comcast Corporation and President of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation.
By investing in workforce training, skills building and job placement today, our work is helping to build lasting, generational wealth and achieve large-scale economic growth for all.
DALILA WILSON-SCOTT
EVP & Chief Diversity Officer for Comcast Corporation and President of the Comcast NBCUniversal Foundation
Currently, 92 percent of all jobs require digital skills but nearly one-third of U.S. workers lack basic digital skills, and overwhelmingly, communities of color and Americans earning lower incomes are most often those lacking the skillsets required to qualify for jobs and to grow careers. Through targeted workforce development, significant strides can be made toward closing the skills gap – and digital divide – while spurring critical job placement and increasing diversity and equity in the workforce.
“We can only successfully change the face of tech – and strengthen the future of our economy – if we successfully find ways to help every worker unlock his or her potential,” said Plinio Ayala, President & CEO of Per Scholas. “Comcast recognizes how critical this mission is, and by working together, we can create the opportunities that empower job seekers to become what they envision, to realize their every possibility, and succeed in the workforce of today - and tomorrow.”
Comcast’s grant to frontline, partner organizations will help increase college and career readiness, especially among underserved youth; connect workers to opportunities; provide upskilling for adult learners and those already in the workforce; and close the skills – particularly digital skills – gap. This funding will support programs and partnerships driving impact nationwide in 2023.
“To excel in the tech industry, it is not enough to simply have a degree,” noted Michel Ellison, CEO and Co-Founder of CodePath. “Graduates must navigate a complex, competitive industry, build a background of career-specific experience, and establish tech excellence. As leaders, it is incumbent on us to help guide our future tech talent through all of this and more. With partners like Comcast, we will successfully establish the connections and tools necessary for our future creators, problem solvers and innovators.”
Through intentional investment in organizations deeply rooted in local communities across the country, Comcast’s investment will drive change needed to achieve lasting, generational impact. Specifically, funding will go toward the following focus areas and more than 200 organizations, including:
Increasing College and Career-Readiness
Building College to Career Opportunities
Providing Training and Upskilling to Close the Skills Gap
Comcast Corporation (Nasdaq: CMCSA, CMCSK) is a global media and technology company with two primary businesses, Comcast Cable and NBCUniversal. Comcast Cable is one of the nation's largest video, high-speed Internet and phone providers to residential customers under the XFINITY brand and also provides these services to businesses. NBCUniversal operates news, entertainment and sports cable networks, the NBC and Telemundo broadcast networks, television production operations, television station groups, Universal Pictures and Universal Parks and Resorts.
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