Grads of Life will help promote DEI outcomes to the C-suite
A coalition of chief executive officers (CEOs) has partnered with Grads of Life to help promote equitable recruitment in workplaces, especially for Black talent. Grads of Life is an initiative dedicated to closing the gap between people who have been historically excluded from the workforce and employers hiring talent.
It paved the way for the launching of OneTen, the coalition of CEOs, which pledged to give one million Black Americans without four-year college degrees family-sustaining jobs over the next 10 years. Grads of Life helped design and launch the coalition and will now work with OneTen to "create pathways for Black talent and their ongoing advancement, with a focus on employer engagement."
Maurice Jones, CEO of OneTen, said Grads of Life has been an "instrumental partner" in their launching and closing the opportunity gap for Black talent in corporate America.
"Together, we've achieved an incredible feat of providing some of the largest employers in the country with new strategies to hire, promote, and upskill promising talent who are often overlooked because they don't have a four-year degree," Jones added.
OneTen's efforts have already led to over 20,000 hires for Black talent, providing increased access to economic opportunity and mobility for the sector, according to a media release.
Elyse Rosenblum, CEO of Grads of Life, said that OneTen has responded "overwhelmingly" to their call for a partnership.
"It has been Grads of Life's privilege to support OneTen and its more than 60 member companies and 250 executives," said Rosenblum in a statement. "We are excited to double down on this partnership in 2022, engaging employers in new markets and advancing the talent practices necessary for Black Americans to thrive."
Read more: African American association, Kanarys team up to develop DEI initiatives
Grads of Life said it is honoured to partner with OneTen to push their shared goals of using the power of leading CEOs to dismantle the systemic barriers that have prevented Black Americans from having access to family-sustaining jobs with career mobility.
Through the partnership, Grads of Life said it will bring its expertise in skills-based hiring, work-based learning, and company training to the coalitions C-suite and working groups.
It will help OneTen employers in improving their diversity, equity and inclusion outcomes and achieving their commitments.
"We're excited to continue advancing this work to help achieve full racial equity and economic mobility for Black Americans," said Jones.
Coalition partners involved with OneTen include Accenture, Airbnb, AT&T, Bank of America, Deloitte, Delta, HP, IBM, Johnson & Johnson, and more.
