In response to Film your elevator pitch.
This solution seems that it will positively impact lives in any area it can be applied. It's relevant, timely, and the solution appears to consider or name the assets and strengths of the participants and the needs of the workforce.
As my own personal experience has revealed, I am testament and a strong believer that his solution impacts lives and communities across our country. It has allowed and continues to empower participants to strengthen through valuable skill sets and equip them with education to employment towards a more sustainable career thus bringing added value to their communities.
There is a couple of non-profits in LA that excel in these fields. Maybe feeding off of each other or having a chat with them would help.
LA-Tech.org
Bixel Exchange
Thank you! Collaborating with and learning from other organizations doing great work is central to our strategy, so we're always thrilled to receive recommendations for who we should connect with.
In response to What specific problem are you solving?
I have been part of a similar solution before and there were about 30% who weren't able to find jobs. While the ones who did find jobs continue to grow, the ones who didn't work as hard or couldn't work as hard were left out to dry. This solution is great but it will continue to increase the wage/skill gap in the long run. How do you take this into account in your solution?
Ensuring success for all of our participants is top of mind for our programs. We have added additional placement tracks to account for participants coming to the program at different stages in their careers: paid internship, paid apprenticeships, full-time work, and continuing education. Participants work with our career coaches to set career goals and determine which pathway will be the most effective to take them toward their goals. Students also have access to life coaches for 1:1 and group sessions to address barriers they may face to employment, ranging from challenges with self-confidence to figuring out how to arrange childcare. We have partnered with a range of employer partners and placement agencies that understand the importance of hiring people with a range of backgrounds, and we are able to connect graduates directly to these partners for interviews and placement.
Ultimately, we expect to see a minimum of 80% of our graduates placed into paid work, with some additional percentage deciding to continue their education before entering the workforce.
In response to Pitch your solution.
1) For the unemployed and underemployed, what support system do you have in place for them if they are currently financially unstable?
2) Would the student have to pay for this reskilling?
Students do not have to pay for this reskilling. Generation also provides students with access to study materials and certification exams aligned to each program free of charge to the students. Our intention is to serve the unemployed and underemployed, and we know from years of working with these individuals that they face many barriers including financial instability. We build connections with other community organizations, such as those that provide professional dress, and coaches are able to help students navigate getting access to the resources available to them in the community. Where we have funding, we have provided students with weekly stipends that help offset the costs of expenses such as transportation and childcare, though this is not available in all program locations. Finally, because we understand this challenge (on average, participants enter our programs earning just $512 per month), we have designed our programs to provide the most important skills for success in the targeted profession within just 5 to 12 weeks. This way, they are able to move quickly into a career to gain financial stability.
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