CareerWork$® announced that it has been selected as a Talent Developer by OneTen, a powerful coalition of industry leaders with the mission of hiring, promoting, and advancing one million Black individuals without four-year degrees into family-sustaining careers over the next 10 years.  

As a Talent Developer, CareerWork$ joins this effort in supporting Black individuals launching careers through our programs, and join a vibrant community of practice focused on scaling.  

“This partnership amplifies many aspects of our model: supporting the professional growth of participants, collaborating with partners to provide participant wrap-around services, engaging employer partners, making data-driven decisions, and serving Black Americans,” said Ranko Fukuda, CareerWork$ Director of Programs. “We are honored to be part of this effort as we collectively advance toward improving racial and economic justice in our country.” 

“We look forward to having CareerWork$ join us as an endorsed talent developer to support us in our mission to hire and advance one million Black talent in the next ten years,” said Maurice Jones, Chief Executive Officer of OneTen. “This effort will require a high functioning, multi-disciplinary coalition from corporate America, talent developers, Black talent, talent supports, and others, and it is crucial we have high quality partners like CareerWork$ on that team. We are grateful for the work they have already done and are excited to partner with them going forward.” 

CareerWork$ builds a collaborative and cross-sectoral approach to launching new careers: we bring local employers and workforce development training organizations together with young adults lacking access to lasting careers via our free, eight-week, industry-specific career training programs around the country. We facilitate direct connections between job seekers who want lasting careers, and local employers with open roles. By engaging employers from the beginning of the process, these employers know our graduates are ready to get to work—and job seekers know they aren’t just starting jobs, but are launching lasting, stabilizing careers.  

Eighty-two percent of CareerWork$ and BankWork$ program graduates are BIPOC, more than fifty percent are bilingual or multilingual, and participants earn an average of more than $1,000,000 in increased lifetime earnings, compared to if they had not completed the program. Click here to learn more about CareerWork$ impact in communities across the country. 

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CareerWork$ is delighted to select Deepa Suresh, an August 2021 graduate of the BankWork$® program with our training partner YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, as the third recipient of the CareerWork$ Marc Hill Rising Star Award. Deepa began her new career in financial services in Fall 2021 with Salal Credit Union in Washington State. 

Launched in Spring 2021, the Marc Hill Rising Star Award recognizes a graduate of our BankWork$ or CareerWork$ Medical® programs each quarter who has shown significant personal growth and transformation from the start of their class until their graduation. Each award recipient receives a certificate and cash award to enhance the start of their new career. 

The award is part of CareerWork$ ongoing work to open doors to meaningful careers – and honors the life, work, and legacy of the late Marc Hill, an instructor of both the BankWork$ and CareerWork$® Ready programs with CareerWork$ partner, YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish, who passed away in late 2020. Marc began teaching our BankWork$ courses in 2011, and then began teaching CareerWork$ Ready in 2020 as part of our response to the COVID-19 crisis. The lessons Marc shared with his students embody our values as an organization: Respect, collaboration, equity, and inclusion. 

CareerWork$ and YWCA staff, along with Deepa’s colleagues at Salal Credit Union, had the opportunity to surprise her with the news that she had been selected as the newest recipient selected from a pool of candidates across the country. 

“I am so grateful to receive this recognition, and to each and every person on the CareerWork$ and YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish teams. It feels good to be appreciated for who I am as I start my new career. Thank you for this honor,” said Deepa. 

“Our team is so incredibly proud of Deepa’s accomplishments and we’re honored to have her represent our program as she blazes a trail of success within the financial industry! We saw Deepa’s metamorphosis as she became a leader and force of light and positivity. While juggling two jobs and caring for her children, Deepa was able to make the BankWork$ program a priority by successfully making it to every class and completing all of her assignments. She challenged herself out of her comfort zone by volunteering to read and participate in class activities. She generously offered encouragement to her fellow classmates, and brought her laughter and insight to each class.  It came as no surprise that Deepa received multiple offers after graduation,” said Tracy Hinman, BankWork$ Instructor with YWCA Seattle | King | Snohomish. 

“We are thrilled to honor Deepa and to celebrate her perseverance, passion, and her growing career,” said CareerWork$ Director of Programs, Ranko Fukuda. “We know that Marc would be proud that his legacy has brought so many people together to celebrate Deepa’s success, and that his work continues to have impact as people move forward in their careers. We are excited to see all that Deepa does and to have her as part of the CareerWork$ family.” 

From all of us at CareerWork$, congratulations, Deepa!  

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Jonathon Frank’s career path has spanned a collegiate basketball court, some of New York City’s most iconic buildings, a serious, life-altering injury, and – more recently – the BankWork$® career development program, and a growing career in financial services. 

A New York native, after completing his undergraduate degree in business management at Long Island University while also starring as small forward on its basketball team, Jonathon embarked on what would become a 15-year career in New York City’s construction industry. During that time, Jonathon helped construct 10 high-rise buildings that now dot the city’s skyline – including the Freedom Tower in lower Manhattan. 

But in 2014, Jonathon suffered a major neck injury at his construction job. He was left temporarily paralyzed. Once one of the fastest players on the basketball court, Jonathon now had to learn how to walk again.  

He began a new chapter in his life and career with a cross-country move to Los Angeles, where he explored a career in real estate but found it wasn’t a good fit. A professional contact introduced Jonathon to Julian Hampton, Associate Director of JVS SoCal, our partner in the Los Angeles area.  

Initially, Jonathon remembers, after speaking with Julian he remained “pretty skeptical” about pursuing a career in financial services. For him, it was a “completely different world.” But Jonathon wanted the kind of stability BankWork$ offered, so he gave it a try. That skepticism soon waned. 

While he had extensive customer service experience from the real estate industry, Jonathon says he needed to “learn the language” and industry-specific skills that BankWork$ provides. “As I went through the program, I realized I had a knack for this. By the second week, I was like, ‘I think I can do this.’” He also credits Julian’s steadfast encouragement as he completed the program in Fall 2021. 

Like all BankWork$ graduates, after a celebration ceremony Jonathon participated in a career fair and interviewed with employer partners in the region. Jonathon admits he was nervous going into the interviews – “I hadn’t done a job interview in 15 years!” – but says the program’s mock interview practices were important preparation. After receiving multiple offers for jobs with career growth potential, Jonathon accepted a role as a Relationship Associate with City National Bank, where he started in March 2021. 

For Jonathon, his career in financial services has been a “seamless transition” from BankWork$ and “beyond expectations,” as he built relationships with his clients and “experiences who they are.”  

“BankWork$ is a wonderful opportunity. It creates a pathway. You can’t get that kind of knowledge and experience anywhere else,” says Jonathon. “It set me up perfectly to walk into this industry with my feet planted firmly and with a lot of confidence. But you have to be committed.”  

Like so many BankWork$ graduates, Jonathon has also begun wearing another hat: an advocate and evangelist for the program, as he’s already recruited two friends to BankWork$. 

Want to learn more about the BankWork$ with our partners JVS SoCal? Click here.  

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