Partnership with Council for Adult and Experiential Learning
will establish support and training for adult learners
entering financial services and adjacent industries
INDIANAPOLIS, May 9, 2022
/PRNewswire/ -- The Council for Adult and Experiential
Learning (CAEL), a nonprofit organization helping adult
learners navigate on- and off-ramps between education and
employment, announced today it has been awarded a $15.7 million grant from Truist Foundation. The
CAEL and Truist Foundation partnership encompasses a six-year
multicity initiative that prioritizes Black, Indigenous, and
persons of color (BIPOC) as well as underserved communities by
building career paths in professions and industries historically
unavailable to them, such as financial services.
"Our work with CAEL will provide the tools adult learners,
workforce organizations, postsecondary institutions and service
providers need to ensure individuals can secure a position and
prosper within previously inaccessible industries," said
Lynette Bell, president of Truist
Foundation. "Beyond our grant, Truist Bank intends to partner with
CAEL to hire some of the talented adult learners who participate in
the initiative's career pathways."
Championing adult learner success for more than 40 years, CAEL
has established and grown partnerships with workforce
organizations, employers, postsecondary education institutions,
regions and communities across the nation. CAEL will be partnering
with nationally recognized organizations for this initiative,
including CareerWork$ (BankWork$ program), CollegeAPP, Emsi
Burning Glass, PAIRIN, and Riipen.
The supportive ecosystem created by CAEL's work and partnership
with Truist Foundation will allow adult learners to gain access to
meaningful employment while creating and sustaining a diverse
talent pipeline for the financial services industry. This
initiative will roll out in five communities over the next six
years.
CAEL's partnership with Truist Foundation will:
- Establish partnerships with local community colleges and
postsecondary institutions to ensure all adult learners have access
to affordable remote and in-person classes with flexible hours and
curricula, prioritizing effectiveness for women and BIPOC adult
learners.
- Establish partnerships with local Workforce Development
Boards.
- Provide support and resources to workforce organizations in the
region to connect more job seekers to higher-wage jobs and
long-term career opportunities.
- Provide training and tools to organizations in the financial
services industry to encourage them to hire talented and diverse
adult learners and support them as candidates and employees,
setting them up for success.
- Explore potential partnerships with service providers such as
local child care centers, transportation services, mental health
organizations and other areas to ensure services are available and
accessible, allowing adult learners to face fewer barriers when
entering the financial services workforce.
This comprehensive support system aims to make it possible for
women, BIPOC and other underrepresented adult learners to secure,
persist and excel in their careers.
"A lack of coordination among postsecondary institutions,
employers and workforce organizations has limited opportunities to
promote diversity, equity and inclusion within many industries,
including financial services," said Earl
Buford, CAEL president. "This generous support from
Truist Foundation will allow CAEL to bring about collaboration
among educators, workforce developers, employers and service
organizations to build more equitable and comprehensive pathways
into financial services and adjacent industries for adult learners
who have long faced systemic barriers to rewarding
occupations."
Expensive hurdles such as education, transportation and child
care prevent many qualified individuals from pursuing employment
opportunities. CAEL's work and partnership with Truist Foundation
will uplift individuals within an empowering career path, diversify
the financial services sector, provide individuals the opportunity
to generate sustainable and generational wealth and provide support
and resources to workforce organizations and educational
institutions.
About CAEL
Recognizing that adult learners are the backbone of the U.S.
economy, CAEL helps forge a clear, viable connection between
education and career success, providing solutions that promote
sustainable and equitable economic growth. CAEL opens doors to
opportunity in collaboration with workforce and economic
developers, postsecondary educators, employers and industry groups,
and foundations and other mission-aligned organizations. By
engaging with these stakeholders, we foster a culture of
innovative, lifelong learning that helps individuals, and their
communities thrive. A national membership organization established
in 1974, CAEL is a part of Strada Collaborative, a mission-driven
nonprofit. Learn more at cael.org and
stradacollaborative.org.
About Truist Foundation
The Truist Foundation is committed to Truist Financial
Corporation's (NYSE: TFC) purpose to inspire and build better lives
and communities. Established in 2020, the foundation makes
strategic investments in nonprofit organizations to help ensure the
communities it serves have more opportunities for a better quality
of life. The Truist Foundation's grants and activities focus on
building career pathways to economic mobility and strengthening
small businesses. Learn more at
Truist.com/Purpose/Truist-Foundation.
Media contacts
Elizabeth
Brandes
Council for Adult and Experiential
Learning
ebrandes@cael.org
Truist
media@truist.com
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SOURCE The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL);
Truist Foundation