NEWS RELEASE

Contact
Jen Pajewski, Director of Special Relationships
Phone: 412-552-7098
Email: jpajewski@partner4work.org
Web: www.partner4work.org

Partner4Work, PA Bankers Association, Announces Launch of BankWork$ Training Program  

Pittsburgh, August 21, 2019 – Partner4Work (P4W), in collaboration with the PA Bankers Association and several of the region’s leading financial institutions, announced the launch of BankWork$® Pittsburgh, a nationally recognized, industry-developed training program aimed at helping individuals prepare for careers in retail banking.

“It’s well established that Pittsburgh’s retail banking landscape has expanded recently and competition for talent, as well as customers, is front and center in helping the financial services industry succeed in the region,” said Earl Buford, Partner4Work CEO. “BankWork$ can help level the playing field – both for businesses and for job seekers – and help individuals get hired in their own communities.”

Developed by the banking sector, BankWork$ prepares individuals with barriers to employment to become qualified for positions such as tellers, customer service representatives, and personal bankers. Students also receive soft-skills training, coaching and mentoring from industry professionals, interview prep and other hands-on activities. The eight-week training program is set to begin September 30 at the Energy Innovation Center Institute in the Hill District.

BankWork$ is a program of the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, based in Seattle. Les Biller, a former COO of Wells Fargo & Co., and Sheri Biller, a community activist and volunteer, launched BankWork$ in 2006. It operates in 13 other U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, Dallas, Milwaukee, and Philadelphia.

Recruitment for the program is open now, with a specific interest in the recruitment of Hill District residents. Interested students should visit https://www.partner4work.org/bankworks-for-students/ to get started.

The program is offered at no cost to students through the support of Citizens Bank, PNC, Bank of America, Northwest Bank, First Commonwealth Bank, Dollar Bank, Huntington Bank, S&T, and the John T. and Margaret S. McCartan Charitable Fund of The Pittsburgh Foundation.

About Partner4Work
Nationally recognized for innovation, Partner4Work, formerly Three Rivers Workforce Investment Board, is the workforce development organization that connects funding, expertise and opportunities for employers, job seekers, agencies and policymakers to develop a thriving workforce in the Pittsburgh area. As stewards of more than $21 million in public and private workforce funds, Partner4Work oversees and funds workforce programs for adults, dislocated workers and youth; educates the community through labor market analytics; and implements innovative solutions to the region’s systemic workforce challenges. More information is available at www.partner4work.org.

About PA Bankers Association
PA Bankers has been bringing banks and bankers together for more than 120 years to learn, grow, serve and engage with their peers, communities, and lawmakers. The association has built a strong reputation as a leading advocate for banking policies at the state and federal levels, as well as the delivery of quality education, products, and services for banks of all sizes and their employees. Follow the Pennsylvania Bankers Association on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (@PABankers).

About Bankwork$®
BankWork$ was started in 2006 in Los Angeles by The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation in partnership with regional workforce development leader Jobs.Vision.Success Southern California (JVS SoCal). As part of the five-year, $4 million national expansion in partnership with Bank of America, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, and the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, the program will be in up to 15 markets by end of 2019. For more information, visit www.bankworks.org.

BankWork$® announced today that it has partnered with Fremont Adult and Continuing Education to offer its eight-week fre training program that places low-income young adults and those with barriers to employment in jobs in the financial services industry. The BankWork$ program was previously offered in the Bay Area by Jewish Vocational Services and is also operating in twelve cities nationwide.

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Media Contact:
Mark Dederer
Inquiries@billerfamilyfoundation.org
206-535-7543

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CareerWork$, Inc.® and The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation Announce Sherry Cromett as the New President of Career Pathways

SEATTLE (December 5, 2018) – Today it was announced that Sherry Cromett will join CareerWork$, Inc. as the new President of Career Pathways, leading its mission to provide free career training to young adults from underserved communities and connecting them with jobs that pay above a living wage, include benefits, and have career growth potential.

“I am inspired by the Career Pathways programs that help in opening the door for highly capable people who have experienced multiple barriers to employment and rewarding careers, “said Cromett. “It’s an honor to lead and grow the Career Pathways banking and medical training programs that focus on equity and access for deserving individuals.”

Most of Cromett’s career has been spent with Starbucks, where over the course of twenty years she defined and spearheaded the U.S. and global business strategies as well as highly complex, critical initiatives for over 12,000 stores. “We look forward to Sherry bringing her extensive business experience to the world of active philanthropy,” noted the Foundation’s Co-Founder, Les Biller. “We’re excited to see what bold ideas she has for the continued expansion of our Career Pathways programs.”

Currently, the Foundation operates two Career Pathways programs: BankWork$®, which prepares participants for careers in the retail banking industry, and CareerWork$ Medical®, which focuses on the healthcare industry. Developed in Los Angeles in 2006, BankWork$ has since expanded nationally to thirteen cities and launched more than 2,100 careers nationwide. CareerWork$ Medical began in November 2017 in Seattle and plans to expand to new markets within the next year.

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About The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation fulfills its mission to invest in bold ideas that inspire collective action in order to achieve powerful results in the four focus areas of public education, social impact theatre, career pathways, and supportive care. Grants are made primarily in Los Angeles County and Washington state. The Foundation was founded in 2001 by Sheri and Les Biller. For more information, please visit The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation’s website at www.billerfamilyfoundation.org. Follow on Twitter @BillerFamFdtn or on Faceboo

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 25, 2018

For more information, contact:
Jill Lintonen (414) 270-1712

BankWork$® Partners with Employ Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Bankers Association to Bring Eight-Week Financial Services Industry Career Training Program to Milwaukee

The free training program offers an opportunity to launch a career in banking for underserved individuals

MILWAUKEE — BankWork$® announced today it is partnering with Employ Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA) to expand its eight-week free training program to southeastern Wisconsin. BankWork$® is a public-private partnership that primarily trains participants from underserved neighborhoods for careers in retail banking. The Milwaukee partnership will place adults with barriers to employment, in jobs in the financial services industry. The program is currently operating in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco, Seattle, and Tacoma, Washington.

BankWork$® has placed more than 2,000 graduates into careers in the financial services industry. We are excited to see the impact the program will have on Milwaukee,” said Colleen Anderson, Executive Director at BankWork$®.

“The WBA is excited to support another way of helping our communities while providing banks with trained and job-ready front-line employees,” explained Rose Oswald Poels, President/CEO of the Wisconsin Bankers Association. “This is also a great way of promoting banking as a career in our state.”

BankWork$® partners with leading nonprofit vocational training organizations in each market to deliver the program locally. The eight-week course equips graduates with hard and soft skills, common among financial industry employers, to become qualified for in-demand jobs at local bank branches. The program has a 70 percent placement rate and 82 percent of graduates placed in jobs in the financial services industry remain employed six months after graduation.

“This is an impressive and successful program,” said Sandra Meka, Vice President-Talent Acquisition Manager, Associated Bank. “BankWork$® is helping us develop and maintain a skilled workforce at a rapid pace. Our need for workers is great. This program provides an excellent pool of diverse, qualified candidates to help us grow our business.”

Employ Milwaukee’s goal is to train 400 individuals over three years for banking industry jobs, including Entrylevel Bank Teller, Universal Teller, Customer Service Representative, Relationship Banker and Personal Banker. The first location to hold training classes will be at Journey House on Milwaukee’s southside.

“This is a tremendous opportunity for our job seekers,” said Willie C. Wade, President and CEO, Employ Milwaukee. “We are looking forward to introducing candidates to well-paying jobs, and ultimately lasting careers. I applaud the vision of BankWork$® and look forward to implementing the program in our community.”

About BankWork$
BankWork$® was started in 2006 in Los Angeles by The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation in partnership with regional workforce development leader Jobs.Vision.Success Southern California (JVS SoCal). As part of the five-year, $4 million national expansion in partnership with Bank of America, U.S. Bank, Wells Fargo, and the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation, the program will be in up to 15 markets by end of 2019. For more information, visit www.bankworks.org.

About Employ Milwaukee
Employ Milwaukee administers an industry-driven sector-based workforce model. This highly effective model promotes long-term economic prosperity and sustainable employment. Through direct employer engagement in high demand industry sectors, Industry Advisory Board participants identify skill requirements and employment opportunities within key sectors. Customized hiring events are just one of the services Employ Milwaukee provides to employers and job seekers in the greater Milwaukee area. For more information, visit employmilwaukee.org.

About Wisconsin Bankers Association
The Wisconsin Bankers Association is the state’s largest financial industry trade association, representing nearly 240 commercial banks and savings institutions, their nearly 2,300 branch offices and 23,000 employees.

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