- The funds will help the Chamber expand its Career Exposure and Pathways Programs for high school, college students, and recent graduates.
DETROIT (March 7, 2024) – The Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation received a $100,000 local impact grant from the Deloitte Foundation* to support critical career exposure and workforce pathway efforts in the Detroit Region. The funding will support the implementation of work-based learning programs in industries like information technology, professional services, advertising and marketing, health care and health tech, and financial services and banking.
“The Deloitte Foundation’s investment in this work through their generous grant reinforces the importance of collaborating with organizations to help bolster the Region’s talent pipeline and mitigate barriers to career-making opportunities for students and professionals,” said Christi Taylor, the Chamber’s Senior Director of Talent Initiatives. “For the Detroit Region to thrive and compete in the 21st-century economy, these career exposure and skill-building opportunities are critical to preparing the next generation for the jobs of the future.”
The Chamber will apply this funding to the following initiatives:
Career Exposure and Pathways
The Chamber’s career exposure work focuses on three audiences: racially and ethnically diverse high school students, college students, and recent college graduates. These audiences will have access to webinars and other virtual workshops focused on professional skills and careers in the Detroit Region.
For this initiative, the funds will support:
- Expansion of the Chamber Foundation’s virtual and in-person Career Exposure and Pathways programs.
- 1,000 student participants who will be introduced to the possibility of careers in business, accounting, and STEM.
- Program design and career exposure activity planning and execution.
Regional Work-Based Learning Strategy
The Chamber is looking to build a more effective structure that aligns regional work-based learning initiatives and corporate collaborations into a cohesive career exposure program.
For this initiative, the funds will support:
- A project to identify national best practices around work-based learning and local initiatives that already exist in the region.
- A framework for a more aligned and efficient regional strategy that defines high-demand and well-paying jobs and the specific skills, experiences, and common pathways to gain entry in these fields, particularly for information technology and business.
- Efforts to determine how employers across the region can more efficiently connect with students for career exposure, mentorship, internships, and job opportunities.
Employers interested in supporting these initiatives can contact Christi Taylor at ctaylor@detroitchamber.com.
* Learn more about the Deloitte Foundation.
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About the Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation
The Detroit Regional Chamber Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to growing economic prosperity in the Detroit Region. Supporting the Detroit Regional Chamber’s policy priorities, the Foundation works to promote and develop initiatives focusing on increasing access to talent for businesses, growing key industry sectors like automotive and mobility, advancing racial justice and economic equity, developing leaders, and other regional imperatives. Learn more at detroitchamber.com. For more information, please visit detroitchamber.com.