Member Spotlight: U.S. Bank
Earlier this year, U.S. Bank’s CEO Richard Davis announced the company’s new corporate giving and volunteering platform, Community Possible, which focuses the bank’s community investments under the pillars of Work, Home and Play. U.S. Bank is proud to invest in the Bay Area Council’s Workforce of the Future Initiative under the leadership of Executive Committee members Teresa Briggs of Deloitte and Glenn Shannon of Shorenstein Properties and as part of its work to address the growing mismatch between workforce suppliers – like colleges and universities – and employer demand for qualified middle skills job applicants.
Employers cannot find enough qualified candidates to fill their growing middle skill job openings, such as customer care representatives, lab technicians, field repair workers, physical therapy assistants and treatment facility staff. To add to this issue, the region’s middle class is having an increasingly difficult time finding jobs.
According to Mike Righi, U.S. Bank’s Market Leader for the Pacific Northwest, “U.S. Bank believes that stable, fulfilling employment is the foundation to a thriving middle-class and growing economy. By investing in the Workforce of the Future program, U.S. Bank is making it possible for the business community and the Bay Area Community College Consortium to create stable employment for middle skill professionals in the Bay Area.”
The focus areas of the initiative include health care, utilities, technology, banking and finance, based upon the number of middle skill job opportunities in those industries. The Council will identify the training needs of the employers in those industries, and coordinate with the community college system to develop training programs. Through the Workforce of the Future Initiative, the business community can create opportunities for the middle class in the Bay Area to enjoy in the region’s bright economic future. To engage in the Council’s Workforce of the Future policy work, please contact Senior Vice President of Policy Linda Bidrossian.
