Uniontown Community-Based Organization Receives Funding Through The Citi Foundation And LISC To Help Train Workers For Growing Job Sectors

PR Newswire

UNIONTOWN, Pa., Feb. 26, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- The Citi Foundation and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) today announced new funding through the Bridges to Career Opportunities initiative (Bridges) to help connect unemployed and underemployed people in Fayette County with quality jobs in growth industries.

Fayette County Community Action Agency (FCCAA) has been awarded $190,000 and technical support to provide services that help job seekers increase their incomes, improve their credit and raise their standards of living. Services include skills training and career development, as well as personal finance coaching, continuing education courses (to strengthen math and reading skills), and resources to help job seekers secure transportation, child care and housing arrangements, which can be impediments to career mobility.

The new funding is part of a $10 million three-year national effort by the Citi Foundation and LISC to expand the reach of Bridges and spur economic opportunity for thousands of families across the country.

FCCAA will leverage the Bridges initiative to work with local partners like Fayette County Career and Technical Institute and the Pennsylvania Institute of Health and Technology as it expands its education and training efforts. More specifically, it is launching new programs to prepare local workers for careers in nursing services, with a particular emphasis on credentialing programs for certified nursing assistants (CNA) and licensed practical nurses (LPN).

"A bridge to nursing services careers provides pathways for a large number of employees living throughout Fayette County," said Vincent Vicites, chairman of the Fayette County Board of Commissioners. "Fayette County will continue to need employees in the nursing field, especially in hospitals and nursing homes, because of its large aging population, and these programs will allow participants to advance their careers."

FCCAA is among 40 community-based nonprofits nationwide to be awarded funding through this program (a full listing of participating organizations can be found here.)

The majority of people who enter the Bridges program are either unemployed or working in minimum wage jobs and testing at a 6th-8th grade education level. After Bridges, more than three-quarters of participants move on to occupational skills training and 64 percent achieve industry-recognized credentials—opening doors to living wage jobs they would not otherwise be able to access and putting them on career pathways with the opportunity for ongoing advancement. In the last two years alone, more than 3,000 training participants across the country have been placed in jobs.

"We are pleased to be awarded this funding, which will allow FCCAA to grow our Bridges program efforts and increase employment opportunities for individuals pursuing careers in nursing services," said James Stark, CEO of FCCAA. "We are excited about the potential increase in enrollment in CNA and LPN programs throughout Fayette County, and we anticipate participants who complete these programs to further their training as registered nurses or in other related nursing careers."

The Citi Foundation's investment in Bridges builds on a decades-long relationship between the Foundation and LISC. It also signals an expansion of Citi Foundation's Pathways to Progress initiative beyond youth-focused career readiness to provide adult job seekers the full range of services needed for long-term employment.

About the Citi Foundation

The Citi Foundation works to promote economic progress and improve the lives of people in low-income communities around the world. We invest in efforts that increase financial inclusion, catalyze job opportunities for youth, and reimagine approaches to building economically vibrant cities. The Citi Foundation's "More than Philanthropy" approach leverages the enormous expertise of Citi and its people to fulfill our mission and drive thought leadership and innovation. For more information, visit www.citifoundation.com.

About LISC

With residents and partners, LISC forges resilient and inclusive communities of opportunity across America – great places to live, work, visit, do business and raise families. Since 1979, LISC has invested $18.6 billion to build or rehab 376,000 affordable homes and apartments and develop 63 million square feet of retail, community and educational space. To learn more, visit www.lisc.org.

Contact
LISC
MediaNadia Villagran, 760-641-3307
nvillagran@lisc.org

Citi
MediaElizabeth Kelly, 212-559-2477
elizabeth.kelly@citi.com

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