Workforce Development in Action: BankWork$ Graduates Inspire, Find Jobs Upon Graduations

Workforce Development in Action: BankWork$ Graduates Inspire, Find Jobs Upon Graduations

Mark Dederer, Executive Director, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
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Immigrants. Veterans. Survivors of violence. The individuals I’ve met since The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation started BankWork$ in 2006 never cease to amaze me. From many different backgrounds, one theme weaves their stories together: the drive and will to succeed.

BankWork$ is a free workforce development program for low-income, urban young adults that aims to provide secure jobs in the banking industry that pay above a living wage and offer benefits and career advancement potential. Our job placement rate is 75%. Last week, BankWork$ graduated almost 50 students from its eight-week program in the Puget Sound region.

One student who is representative of those we serve is Gonzalo Aguilar, now employed by Wells Fargo. When he graduated from high school in 2007, he didn’t know what he wanted to do for a living, so he took a job serving fast food. He knew he wasn’t fulfilling his potential, so when his sibling gave him a flyer for BankWork$, he signed up. Eight years later, he is a service manager for a Wells Fargo branch in Southern California.

Even though I’ve attended a dozen of these graduations over the years, I never cease to find inspiration in graduates like Gonzalo and their unique stories of struggle and triumph. This year, some were returning military personnel and their spouses seeking to transition from military life. Other graduates were immigrants who were highly accomplished in their home country with years of education and experience, but had to start over again once they got to the United States.  All of them took full advantage of BankWork$, which has shown tremendous success over the last 12 years. After graduation, there was a line of employers like Wells Fargo, Bank of America, and U.S. Bank waiting anxiously outside the auditorium door to interview and hire students at the on-site job fair following graduation.

In the Puget Sound, BankWork$ partners with the YWCA. Our newest initiative CareerWork$ Medical, which launches September 12, seeks to align the successful components of the BankWork$ program with employer needs in healthcare sector. CareerWork$ will replicate successful aspects of BankWork$, modifying the model as needed to meet healthcare industry-specific workforce training requirements.

By sharing the story of BankWork$ with other funders, we hope to inspire partnerships that put more people from underserved urban communities back to work. Together, we can create more solid and stable communities.

To find out more please watch the attached video, visit the BankWork$ website or contact me directly.