NEW ORLEANS — Earlier this month, Greater New Orleans Inc., Verizon, Generation USA and Delgado Community College announced a new partnership to bring a workforce development program to the greater New Orleans region. The online reskilling program will provide free resources and access to career pathways and full-time employment in high-demand technology roles, including IT help desk technician and digital marketing analyst, with each program taking an average of 10 to 12 weeks to complete.
Generation USA, an independent nonprofit founded in 2014 by McKinsey & Company, said it has graduated over 30,000 people from its programs globally. The majority of Generation graduates leave the program with job offers, the nonprofit says, and 81% are employed at three months post-graduation at salaries two to six times higher than their previous earnings.
“We’ve designed our new programs specifically for workers who are unemployed, underemployed, facing job displacement due to automation, or further challenged by the pandemic to be delivered at scale; and as always, providing both technical and professional ‘soft skill’ training and support,” said Sean Segal, Generation CEO.
This initiative is a part of Verizon’s Citizen Verizon plan to prepare 500,000 individuals for jobs of the future by 2030. Verizon is investing over $44 million over several years in Generation to help close the opportunity gap for workers and increase access to digital skills.
Through GNO Inc.’s signature workforce program, GNOu, the organization led the effort to solidify an institutional partner in the region to host the Generation program. In partnership with New Orleans Business Alliance and Delgado Community College, the group is coordinating industry introductions to assist with graduate placement and further industry-led curriculum development. GNO, Inc. and partners invite employers in the region to collaborate and place graduates in meaningful, high-wage employment career paths.
“Preparing local talent for the workforce is paramount to maintaining a strong regional economy,” said Michael Hecht, president and CEO of Greater New Orleans Inc. “We’re thrilled to see our region included in this initiative and look forward to seeing local residents benefit from this tremendous opportunity.”
The technology-focused program is completely free and will be offered at Delgado Community College.
“We are thrilled to provide the training for this much needed opportunity in New Orleans,” said Arlanda Williams, vice chancellor for workforce development and institutional advancement of Delgado Community College. “Through this initiative we will give the participants the tools they need to reroute their career and enhance their quality of life.”
New Orleans is currently among seven other major cities within the U.S. that was selected to host this initiative. The other cities include Dallas, Las Vegas, Memphis, Miami, Seattle, Spartanburg, S.C., and Washington, D.C. Additional cities will be announced next year with the goal of reaching 22 cities by the end of 2022. The goal within the New Orleans region is to graduate between 400-600 graduates yearly and for post-graduate opportunities, the goal is provide at least 80% (320-480) of the graduates internships, apprenticeships, continuing education, or full-time jobs.
Applications are currently being accepted at https://usa.generation.org/training