August 1, 2024

In late June, Jobs for the Future (JFF), a national nonprofit that drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems, announced its partnership with Truist Foundation to improve economic mobility and advancement opportunities for learners and workers across three Southern states, Ohio and Pennsylvania. The $4.2 million investment will support two initiatives to build equitable pathways to high-wage, high-growth careers through postsecondary education and workforce training programs.

“The opportunity to secure a quality job with the potential for economic advancement must be equally accessible to learners and workers across this country, regardless of state or region,” said Maria Flynn, president and CEO of Jobs for the Future. “This is why we’re grateful to Truist Foundation for supporting our work to invest in community colleges in several states and in stakeholders across the Huntsville, Alabama region so we can build new approaches for inclusive on-ramps to tech careers and more.”

In Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio, JFF and Truist Foundation will partner with a cohort of six community colleges in regions with a high concentration of learners and workers who face barriers to economic mobility to develop and scale strategies for increasing the number of learners accessing and completing education and training programs that lead to high-quality jobs in occupations that are growing in demand. Forsyth Tech is an NC partner community college. JFF will support participating colleges in analyzing the outcomes and experiences of learners to design and implement interventions that promote access and success in career pathways. Truist’s investment will also support the expansion of JFF’s advisory services focused on creating inclusive postsecondary pathways to jobs with high labor market opportunity.

In the Huntsville, Alabama region, Truist Foundation, JFF, and online education provider edX will build on their experience implementing innovative, community-centric models that engage stakeholders across the nonprofit, workforce development, community college, and business sectors to expand a boot camp-driven model for tech training in data analytics and cybersecurity roles. This program will train 180 workers over two years to establish on-ramps to tech careers for low-to-moderate-income individuals, workers from underprivileged backgrounds, and other workers who have overcome significant challenges. In addition, JFF will conduct research to identify how robust, boot camp-driven tech training can support on-ramps to tech careers within a collective impact model.

“Truist Foundation understands the critical role education and training play in the trajectory of an individual’s job, career, and wealth-building opportunities,” said Truist Foundation President Lynette Bell. “That’s why we are investing in partners and programs like those that Jobs for the Future and edX are supporting across the country to help provide access to tools and resources that all learners and workers need to achieve economic mobility.”

These initiatives are integral to JFF’s 10-year North Star goal of helping 75 million people facing systemic barriers to advancement work in quality jobs. For four decades, JFF has partnered with organizations across the learn and work ecosystem to design solutions, scale best practices, influence policy and action, and invest in innovations so that every individual, regardless of background, can advance economically. 

About Jobs for the Future

Jobs for the Future (JFF) drives transformation of the U.S. education and workforce systems to achieve equitable economic advancement for all. www.jff.org

About Truist Foundation

Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial Corporation’s (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives and communities. The Foundation, an endowed private foundation established in 2020 whose operating budget is independent of Truist Financial Corporation, makes strategic investments in a wide variety of nonprofit organizations centered around two focus areas: building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening small businesses to ensure all communities have an equal opportunity to thrive. Embodying these focus areas are the Foundation’s leading initiatives – the Inspire Awards and Where It Starts. Learn more at Truist.com/Foundation.

About edX/2U

edX is the global online learning platform that fuels the world’s ambition. edX was developed in 2012 by Harvard and MIT to make the world’s best education available to everyone. Today, as a part of 2U, Inc. (Nasdaq: TWOU), edX connects over 78 million people with online learning to meet every professional moment. Together with top-ranked universities and organizations at the forefront of their fields, edX offers thousands of job-relevant programs across nearly every career discipline, from artificial intelligence and robotics to sustainability and public health. Find online courses, certificates, boot camps, and degrees that fuel your ambition at edx.org.