JPMorgan Chase announces a $500,000 investment that will help to advance a more inclusive economy for Black women, supporting the expansion of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s talent pipeline offerings to include a local cohort program for the Google Career Certificates. The new program will also include wraparound career support services.
“As the Cincinnati economy continues to diversify, the demand for digitally skilled workers in IT has multiplied,” said Patrick Dolle, Executive Director, Cincinnati Market Team Lead at J.P. Morgan Private Bank. “With this investment, we are eager to enhance the skillset of women of color which will ultimately prepare them for higher quality jobs, while simultaneously tackling the needs of employers seeking the digital skills and technical training offered through this cohort.”
The program leverages the existing Google Career Certificates program for self-paced online training through a cohort model. The certificates equip people with job-ready skills in the high-growth fields of Data Analytics, Digital Marketing and E-commerce, IT Support, Project Management, and UX Design. The program can be completed in three to six months of part-time study—with no degree or experience required. It includes an employer consortium of over 150 companies—including Google—that considers hiring these Google Certificate graduates for relevant positions.
Over 100,000 people have graduated from Google Career Certificate program in the U.S., and 75% of them report a positive career impact within six months such as a new job, a raise, or a promotion. In addition, Google has partnered with nearly 300 organizations—including public libraries, and chambers of commerce—to train more than 237,000 Ohio residents on digital skills from basic to more advanced. Google is also partnering with the Ohio Association of Community Colleges to bring the Google Career Certificates to community colleges throughout the state.
“Google is committed to advancing the economic mobility of Black women, and we’re proud to support them as they take the Google Career Certificates program to train for well-paying jobs in Cincinnati,” said Lisa Gevelber, Founder, Grow with Google. “Through our partnership with JPMorgan Chase, the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber, and local Cincinnati nonprofits, we’re excited for this program to help participants increase their economic potential.”
The Cincinnati Chamber is collaborating with local non-profit partners at Brighton Center and Mercy Neighborhood Ministries to identify candidates for the program and support them while they participate in the classes. Both partners are already skilled in providing occupational training for their clients and have strong employer networks within the region. This enables the unique opportunity to provide upskilling for women that have previously participated in a service at Brighton or Mercy Neighborhood Ministries, while also opening doors for new clients. The Greater Cincinnati Foundation (GCF) was pivotal in the initial connections and will provide community relations support and data benchmarks throughout the lifecycle of the grant.
“We’re grateful to JPMorgan Chase, Google, and our community partners such as GCF for coming together to bridge a workforce gap in our region,” said Jill Meyer, CEO of the Cincinnati Chamber. “This program will provide an opportunity for employers and non-profit partners to collaborate rather than duplicate efforts. Our goal is to support the economic mobility of those who most need it so that they might reach new levels of self-sufficiency.”
By providing opportunities like this program to Black women, whole communities change. Their financial success positively impacts the economic outcomes for their families and ultimately, the businesses within their communities.
The program joins the Cincinnati Chamber’s suite of talent offerings that address the region’s critical talent priorities and are designed to help attract and retain talent. The focus areas of these initiatives are to support young professionals, welcome new Cincinnatians, create inclusive communities that enrich the region, and grow the tech talent pipeline.
“This program expands our talent initiatives portfolio by providing self-paced online learning that doesn’t require a person to step away from a full-time position,” said Christina Misali, Director, Talent Pipeline for the Cincinnati Chamber. “This is a tremendous opportunity for those looking to add digital skills to their portfolio and for companies to find diverse, untapped talent – within or outside their organizations – to fill their in-demand roles.”
The Greater Cincinnati Foundation provided the following statistics for proof of concept for the program:
- According to the University of Cincinnati Economics Center, 49% of employed Black women in the Greater Cincinnati MSA are making less than $15 an hour, which equates to less than $30,000 a year at full-time hours.
- Black women with a bachelor’s degree are three times more likely to make $15 an hour or less than other race/gender groups according to a recent report by the UC Economic Center and the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
- According to the US Census America Community Survey 2019 5-year estimate, 38.8% of Black or African American female householders with no spouse present in Hamilton County are below the federal poverty level.
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Media Contacts:
JPMorgan Chase: Stephanie Gostomski, Vice President, Regional Communications
614.940.5693 | stephanie.gostomski@jpmchase.com
Google: Andréa Willis, Communications Manager, Corporate Communications
757-272-9470 | andreawillis@google.com
Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber: Danielle Wilson, Vice President, Strategic Marketing & Communications
513.579.3106 | dwilson@cincinnatichamber.com
About JPMorgan Chase & Co.
JPMorgan Chase & Co. (NYSE: JPM) is a leading financial services firm based in the United States of America (“U.S.”), with operations worldwide. JPMorgan Chase had $3.8 trillion in assets and $286.1 billion in stockholders’ equity as of June 30, 2022. The Firm is a leader in investment banking, financial services for consumers and small businesses, commercial banking, financial transaction processing and asset management. Under the J.P. Morgan and Chase brands, the Firm serves millions of customers in the U.S., and many of the world’s most prominent corporate, institutional and government clients globally. Information about JPMorgan Chase & Co. is available at www.jpmorganchase.com.
About Grow with Google
Grow with Google was started in 2017 to help Americans grow their skills, careers, and businesses. It provides training, tools, and expertise to help small business owners, veterans and military families, jobseekers and students, educators, startups, and developers. Since Grow with Google’s inception, it has helped more than nine million Americans develop new skills. Grow with Google has a network of more than 8,500 partner organizations like libraries, schools, small business development centers, chambers of commerce, and nonprofits to help people coast-to-coast.
About the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber:
The Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber’s mission is to grow the vibrancy and economic prosperity of the Cincinnati region. The Chamber team is working on behalf of member businesses to ignite business resiliency and inclusive growth, to invest in the people who call this region home, to lead regional connectivity through collaboration, and to champion the region’s unique advantages. The Chamber is powered by inclusion, regional thinking, data, policy, and relationships. The Cincinnati Chamber’s vision is that the region embodies the Future City, where business growth delivers the economic platform that accelerates opportunity for everyone who calls this region home. For more information, visit www.cincinnatichamber.com.
