OUR PURPOSE
Why don’t our workplaces look like our neighborhoods? That’s the question that sparked re:work training’s formation in 2016. Since then, our mission has been two-fold: improve employment outcomes for Chicago’s untapped communities and combat the lack of diversity in tech’s workforce in the process.
A MESSAGE FROM OUR CEO:
In my neighborhood, there aren’t a plethora of career paths to discover, opportunities to capitalize on or an abundance of role models to emulate. Because of that, we see our future as a predestined march toward exactly what is outside our windows: poverty, poor education and violence. That experience destroys ambition and the ability to dream. But change is possible. We can all be part of that change. It just takes work.
The first step of that work is to simply acknowledge that the opportunities and resources are not balanced among all of Chicago’s communities. As a result, these communities are filled with untapped Black and Latinx talent that must overcome historic wage imbalances, undervalued housing markets and poorer quality schools.
re:work tips the scales for those individuals by creating educational and career opportunities that lead to safe futures and financial success. On the other end, we work with technology companies across the city to provide them with ambitious, resourceful and qualified candidates with diverse backgrounds.
By empowering our candidates and companies we not only make their dreams a reality, we create a path for future generations to dream.
Shelton Banks
Chief Executive Officer, re:work training
Economic heat map of Chicago
Where our candidates come from
Think about it. If you’re itching to climb, but the company that you’re with has failed you, if you’re seeking a way out of your routine life, if you’re unhappy with your income, these are all signs that you’re looking to get more from your job and life. re:work training has the means to take you to that next level, and land a job that meets your gratification.”
— ALAN HAJDARI, COHORT 9
120+
CANDIDATES
125+
EMPLOYERS
$3.05
SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT
News
Not Your Everyday CEO: Chicago Native on Mission to Diversify Tech Industry by Training South and West Siders
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