03/29/2023

Citizens Announces New Regional Workforce Partnerships With New Jersey Nonprofits Addressing Workforce Needs

Highlights:

  • Citizens committing $340,000 to programming that addresses workforce development solutions in New Jersey from the Citizens Charitable Foundation and the Citizens Philanthropic Foundation.
  • Funds will support much-needed technical skills training and career counseling across the state through partnerships with LISC Greater Newark, Urban League of Essex County, Per Scholas and Year Up New Jersey
  • Announcement continues Citizens’ commitment to fostering neighborhood revitalization and economic development in the New Jersey/NYC metro region

Jersey City, NJ - March 29, 2023 – Residents and businesses in Hudson and Essex Counties will benefit from broader and more equitable access to job training and development programs under a $340,000 workforce development programming commitment announced today by Citizens.

The initiative, benefitting LISC Greater Newark, Urban League of Essex County, Per Scholas and Year Up New Jersey, will focus on enabling skills-based job training in evolving industries, bridging the digital skills gap in historically marginalized communities and more.

“Citizens is committed to helping communities across New Jersey thrive, and equitable access to skills training is an essential element as businesses seek specialized skills,” said Bruce Van Saun, Chairman and CEO, Citizens Financial Group. “We recognize that such access is key to the economic viability of the places we serve and we are proud to partner with these organizations to help people build the skills they need to compete for jobs now and in the future.”

The program continues Citizens’ commitment to fostering neighborhood revitalization and economic development in the New York City metro region. Throughout the communities it serves, Citizens has built a successful track record of connecting community partners with job skill programs to employers looking to hire for specialized roles.

The funding from Citizens announced today includes:

  • $140,000 to LISC Greater Newark, part of a $1.25 million grant to LISC from the Citizens Charitable Foundation, that will be used to fuel digital inclusion in historically marginalized communities, helping residents build the skills they need to compete for jobs. The $1.25 million grant builds on a pilot program, also supported by the bank, that tested approaches to bridging the digital skills gap through LISC Financial Opportunity Centers. It will help launch and expand digital services that prepare people for growth industries, including the information technology field.
  • $100,000 from the Citizens Philanthropic Foundation to support the Urban League of Essex County’s Clean Energy Job Program, a partnership with PSE&G to train and place individuals in clean energy jobs.
  • $50,000 from the Citizens Philanthropic Foundation to Per Scholas, benefitting the Per Scholas Alumni Upskilling program, with a focus on providing continued support to program alumni to help them remain on a successful path and further advance in their careers in the rapidly evolving tech world.
  • $50,000 from the Citizens Philanthropic Foundation to Year Up New Jersey to support their skills-based job training pathways program. This will provide much needed IT job training and software development as well as business operations, sales and customer support. This is part of the bank’s larger commitment of $150,000 to Year Up, and will expand its program support into both New Jersey and Philadelphia.

About Citizens Financial Group, Inc.
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. is one of the nation’s oldest and largest financial institutions, with $226.7 billion in assets as of December 31, 2022. Headquartered in Providence, Rhode Island, Citizens offers a broad range of retail and commercial banking products and services to individuals, small businesses, middle-market companies, large corporations and institutions. Citizens helps its customers reach their potential by listening to them and by understanding their needs in order to offer tailored advice, ideas and solutions. In Consumer Banking, Citizens provides an integrated experience that includes mobile and online banking, a full-service customer contact center and the convenience of approximately 3,300 ATMs and approximately 1,200 branches in 14 states and the District of Columbia. Consumer Banking products and services include a full range of banking, lending, savings, wealth management and small business offerings. In Commercial Banking, Citizens offers a broad complement of financial products and solutions, including lending and leasing, deposit and treasury management services, foreign exchange, interest rate and commodity risk management solutions, as well as loan syndication, corporate finance, merger and acquisition and debt and equity capital markets capabilities. More information is available at www.citizensbank.com or visit us on Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

About Citizens’ Foundations
Citizens Financial Group, Inc. funds and operates two Foundations—the Citizens Charitable Foundation and the Citizens Philanthropic Foundation. Both foundations have missions rooted in the belief that citizenship is at the heart of Citizens’ identity, and when people and communities reach their potential, we all thrive. The Foundations provide support to nonprofit organizations that are addressing the bank’s primary giving areas of fostering financial empowerment and strengthening communities through economic and workforce development.

About LISC New Jersey
Since 1986, Greater Newark LISC has collaborated with community based organizations in Newark and the surrounding region to improve the quality of life for residents and shopkeepers. With support from our affiliates, we have invested more than $386 million dollars in Greater Newark and have contributed to the production of more than 2,600 affordable homes and apartments and more than 820,000 square feet of commercial space.

About Urban League of Essex County
Since its founding in 1917 by William B. Ashby, the Urban League has provided training, assistance and direction to thousands of African-Americans and others in the Essex County area. Whether providing financial assistance to recently arrived settlers from the South in the 1920s and 30s, arranging for an applicant’s first job in the 1940s and 1950s, to providing Financial Education and Computer Job Training for adults and Early Childhood Education in the 1990s, the Urban League of Essex County has always had an important impact on quality of life for many African-Americans in the community. Our mission is to assist African American and other disadvantaged urban residents in the achievement of social and economic equality.

About Per Scholas
Per Scholas is a national organization that has been advancing economic mobility for more than 25 years. Through rigorous training, professional development, and robust employer connections, we prepare individuals traditionally underrepresented in technology for high-growth careers in the industry. We partner with leading employers to build more diverse talent pools, directly connecting our graduates to new career opportunities at businesses ranging from Fortune 500 companies to innovative startups. With campuses in 20 cities, Per Scholas has trained more than 20,000 individuals in tech skills, building bridges to careers in technology. To learn more, visit PerScholas.org and follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

About Year Up
Year Up is committed to ensuring equitable access to economic opportunity, education, and justice for all young adults—no matter their background, income, or zip code. Employers face a growing need for talent while millions are left disconnected from the economic mainstream. These inequities only further perpetuate the Opportunity Divide that exists in our country—a divide that Year Up is determined and positioned to close.

In addition to driving impact through direct service and strategic partnerships with employers, talent providers, and policymakers, Year Up is committed to addressing the root causes of the Opportunity Divide in this country and creating pathways to opportunity at broad scale. Helping to power the opportunity movement and make this work possible are two essential partnerships with Grads of Life and YUPRO Placement.

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