The Mid-Atlantic region is home to some of the brightest students this nation has to offer. However, many of them do not have access to the opportunities, resources and support they need to reach their greatest potential.
Taking these factors into consideration, JPMorgan Chase has announced one of its latest philanthropic efforts designed to lead to more favorable outcomes for youth in the region. The company is making a $5.3 million investment to expand opportunities for more students in Baltimore and throughout the Washington, D.C. metropolitan region. This philanthropic effort will support and expand the TalentReady program, a skills training initiative coordinated between the Greater Washington Partnership (GWP) and Education Strategy Group (ESG).
All photo credits go to Greater Washington Partnership.
TalentReady brings together K-12 and higher education leaders from five jurisdictions: Baltimore City, Washington, D.C., Fairfax County, Virginia, Montgomery County and Prince George’s County. The initiative links school systems in the five aforementioned jurisdictions with regional employers in designing career pathways that include opportunities to earn college credit and industry-recognized credentials.
“This philanthropic commitment from JPMorgan Chase expands on the firm’s broader efforts to help more people, particularly those from underserved backgrounds, enter the workforce and compete for quality careers in IT, healthcare and other high-demand industries,” JPMorgan said in a statement.
From left: J. Stephen Jones, MD, President & CEO at Inova Health System; Matt Kelly, CEO at JBG SMITH; Anne Kress, PhD, President at Northern Virginia Community College; Kathy Warden, Chair, CEO and President at Northrop Grumman; Glenn Youngkin, Governor of Virginia; Kathy Hollinger, CEO at Greater Washington Partnership; Matt Gandal, President and CEO at Education Strategy Group; Bruce Caswell, President and CEO at Maximus; Tim Sands, President at Virginia Tech; Michelle Mesack, Managing Director, Global Head of Government Relations at JPMorgan Chase.
All photo credits go to Greater Washington Partnership.
The first phase of this program launched in 2019 and impacted more than 25,000 students in Baltimore City and the Washington metro area (Prince George’s County, Montgomery County and Northern Virginia).
The $5.3 million philanthropic commitment that marks the second phase will enable GWP and ESG to expand TalentReady — a work-based learning program for students — over the next three years while supporting the roll-out of the Employer Signaling System (ESS), a “tool that captures up-to-date data from employers on the knowledge, skills, abilities, and credentials (KSACs) most needed for good jobs and provides that data in clear and usable form for educators designing programs and curriculum.”
ESG will be useful in teaching high schoolers applicable skills needed in modern-day corporate America in an effort to carve a more promising path of success for students in college and beyond.
“It’s a big deal because without this investment from JPMorgan Chase, these strategies and programs would [not] be in place in these jurisdictions,” said Matt Gandal, CEO and president of ESG.
“It was important to JPMorgan Chase and to us that we approach this regionally and [explore] how we help Baltimore City really provide the best opportunities for the young people there in the context of the larger economic region that they live in.
Gandal added that he and colleagues noted that the information technology (IT) was the top industry sector with regard to job growth and access to top-paying jobs in the region. Thus, preparing students for careers in the IT field is where the bulk of TalentReady’s resources will be aimed, he said.
All photo credits go to Greater Washington Partnership.
The multi-million-dollar investment will be disbursed through grants given to each jurisdiction involved in the TalentReady program. Grants will also go to GWP and ESG to coordinate the initiative across the region.
“Not only does the grant matter, but the fact that as a company they (JPMorgan) are stepping forward, leading by example and showing how important it is to help grow opportunities for our youth in the D.C. region and in Baltimore City,” Gandal said.
“One of the goals here is that the employer community will help inform the curriculum and the pathways that are being built in the high schools and into the colleges, and they’ll offer internship opportunities for the young people in these programs.”
Nadine Duplessy Kearns, a program officer within JPMorgan Chase’s Global Philanthropy division, reinforced the company’s commitment to the betterment of Baltimore City youth.
“In the Mid-Atlantic and in the greater Washington region, we are intentionally focused on doing all we can to support Baltimore, Baltimoreans and the communities in which we live, play and do business,” Duplessy Kearns said.
“We want to see them thrive. We want to see young people coming out of Baltimore school systems have the skills and access they need to go into these jobs where they can build a future for themselves and their communities as well. So, this is part of other ways in which we show up in Baltimore and partner with our communities there.”
Robin Perry, an educator at MERVO, teaches CISCO Cybersecurity and used TalentReady funds to support the cyber program when the first phase launched in 2019.
“When you find something that really works with our students – and I believe this program does really, really work for them – you want to continue to enhance it,” Perry said.
“We will utilize the second part of the funding for the same thing – to enhance [the students’] ability to gain that perspective of what cybersecurity really is.
“I think it’s an excellent initiative. It was very important to my program and I hope to continue in the next phase.”
Three years down the road when Phase 2 of this investment is complete, JPMorgan officials will revisit to explore what “next big push” needs to be made, JPMorgan’s Matthew Muench emphasized.