BUILDING COMMUNITIESTHAT WORK.Overview of Genesys Works and Opportunity for New City Expansion

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Across America, millions of young people are shut out of today’s workforce due to lack of relevant skills and work experience. At the same time, millions of jobs go unfilled because companies struggle to find qualified candidates.

What if we could bridge that gap? We can. And we do.

We’re Genesys Works, a nonprofit social enterprise changing the trajectory of life for economically- disadvantaged high school students through meaningful work experiences. Working with our school, corporate, and community partners, we’re moving more students out of poverty and into professional careers, creating a more productive and inclusive workforce in the process.

We are now actively seeking new partners to help bring our proven college and career readiness programming to their communities. If you believe there is an opportunity for Genesys Works in your city, we invite you to read on and learn more. Working together, we can transform the lives of countless young men and women from disadvantaged backgrounds while building stronger communities that work for all.

WILL YOUR CITY BE NEXT?

Our MissionOur mission is to transform the lives of disadvantaged high school students through skills training, meaningful internships, and impactful relationships.

Genesys Works currently operates programs in five metropolitan areas.

Our VisionWe envision a future when all youth finish high school equipped and empowered with the knowledge and skills required to achieve career success and a lifetime of economic self-sufficiency.

BAY AREA 2013CHICAGO 2010

NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION 2016

HOUSTON 2002

TWIN CITIES 2008

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THE PROBLEMStudents growing up in low-income environments often don’t know what career opportunities exist, nor do they realize that a professional career is attainable, putting them on a lifelong path of underemployment and unable to reach their true potential. In addition, the disparity between what students are taught in the classroom and what’s needed for success in the workplace continues to widen, leaving many jobs unfilled because young adults lack the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to succeed in these roles.

Closing these skills and opportunity gaps is an urgent economic and social imperative. With 65% of all jobs in the U.S. estimated to require a post-secondary credential by 2020 and only 9% of low-income, first-generation students earning Bachelor’s degrees by age 24 (contrasted with 77% of high-income peers), it’s clear that much work needs to be done to close our nation’s educational achievement and economic opportunity gaps.

Genesys Works is tackling these problems head-on. Together with our school and corporate partners, we’re equipping today’s youth with the knowledge, skills, and experience required to succeed in tomorrow’s workforce.

By giving students the opportunity to succeed in a professional work environment while still in high school, we can open up career possibilities and pathways previously thought unattainable. Genesys Works empow-ers economically-disadvantaged high school students to achieve career success through intensive skills training, a meaningful corporate internship, college and career coaching, workplace and peer mentorship, and ongoing alumni support.

The Genesys Works program is intensive, both in terms of what we ask of our students and what we offer in return. Over the course of 14 months, students spend approximately 1,200 hours in training, a professional job, and attending college preparatory and career counseling sessions. Students complete our program with increased confidence, in-demand job skills and elevated career aspirations.

OUR SOLUTION

Students attend 8 weeks of training the summer before their senior year of high school. Includes technical skills in information technology and business operations, and the professional skills required to succeed in today’s corporate workplace.

Upon completing training, we hire students and place them in paid, year- long corporate internships. Working 20 hours per week, students further develop and refine high-demand work skills while providing valued services to corporate partners.

During the length of the internship, we provide students with more than 60 hours of counseling on appropriate college and career pathways. Includes college essay writing, test preparation, college selection and financial aid assistance.

Students are provided guidance throughout their post-secondary education experience as they deal with obstacles that might stand in the way of college completion and are supported through their transition into the workforce.

College & Career Coaching

Skills Training

Meaningful Internship Alumni Support

Our programming is implemented in a culture of high expectations focused on rigor, relevance, and relationships; student training is rigorous, the work performed is relevant to career interests and employer needs, and the relationships built with workplace managers, co-workers, program staff, and fellow students, play a critical role in student persistence and success.

We accomplish our mission through four interlocking program components:

“Degree Alone Not Enough to Prepare Grads for Work”

“Education Gap Grows Between Rich and Poor, Studies Say”

“Time to Get Real About Closing the Skills Gap”

“Growing Gap Between What Business Needs and What Education Provides”

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$40-45k MEDIAN EARNINGS OF EMPLOYED ALUMNI*

OUR IMPACTWHO WE SERVEFirst and foremost, we transform student lives. This transformation takes many forms, from the confidence that comes from succeeding in one’s first professional job, to the pride one feels being the first in family to graduate from college.

But our impact goes well beyond the students we serve. It’s felt by our business partners as we create their skilled workforce of tomorrow. It ripples through our communities as we build wealth and reduce disparities for those most in need. It’s clear to see – Genesys Works.

Our program is focused on rising high school seniors from low-income backgrounds who are likely to graduate from high school, but not poised to succeed in college and/or careers. They have the ambition and drive to be successful, but lack the opportunities needed to turn dreams of career success into life-long realities.

They are the “quiet middle,” average academic performers filled with promise, but needing a well-timed intervention to unlock and unleash their true potential.

54%FEMALE 46%

MALE

2,99896%87%82%

STUDENTS SERVED IN 2016

638CLASS OF 2016 INTERNS EMPLOYED

982CLASS OF 2017 STUDENTS TRAINED

1,378ALUMNI SERVED

STUDENTS OF COLOR

QUALIFY FOR FREE OR REDUCED LUNCH

FIRST-GENERATION COLLEGE STUDENTS

93% STUDENTS ENROLLED IN COLLEGE

71% GRADUATED OR STILL ENROLLED IN COLLEGE

4% CAUCASIAN4% OTHER

20% ASIAN

3% MULTIRACIAL

36% LATINO 33% AFRICAN AMERICAN

* Based on 2016 Alumni Survey results for alumni not in college and working full-time 5+ years after Genesys Works. ** Social Return on Investment Analysis published March 2017 by Dr. Clive R. Belfield, Columbia University.

SOCIAL RETURN ON INVESTMENT**

13x

COLLEGE SUPPORTCORE PROGRAM

STUDENT GROWTH AND IMPACT SINCE 2002

20712015

29982016

16962014

13762013

10262012

8142011

4622010

2602009

1732008

1082007

1002006

672005

352004

282003

102002

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ANEESHA WINFIELD MEDTRONICMedtronic is a world-leader in medical technology with a desire to effect positive change on a global basis. Companies like Medtronic possess incredible potential to simultaneously develop their workforce while providing meaningful work experiences to students in need. Since 2009, more than 60 full-time Medtronic employees have supervised and mentored Genesys Works interns, developing and honing their own managerial skills while finding enhanced meaning in their work.

While employee engagement and development is important to Medtronic, it also relies on Genesys Works interns to drive economic value for the organization. One intern, Kachia, helped the company achieve substantial savings on an IT equipment maintenance contract renewal by scouring inventory spreadsheets, making comparisons, and checking usage. Her enthusiasm and hard work was Medtronic’s gain, as she delivered $342,370 in contract savings. Kachia is just one of 180 interns that have helped Medtronic achieve its business goals over the past nine years. In partnership with Genesys Works, Medtronic is investing in its own future and those of the broader communities it serves.

“Before Genesys Works, my future was blank. I knew who I wanted to be, but my voice had died. In training I learned how to be confident in my actions. It was more than developing skills: I became a leader.”

Aneesha Winfield Intern, Salesforce Senior, Phillip & Sala Burton High School

“Partnering with Genesys Works is a win-win. Students get hands-on corporate experience, help solve real problems, and see first-hand what a career in IT is like. The benefit to Medtronic is significant, too. Students report to their internships with enthusiasm and a hunger to learn. They bring a fresh perspective as digital natives who never knew a world without the World Wide Web.”

Michael Hedges Chief Information Officer, Medtronic

$10,000+AMOUNT ANEESHA WILL EARN DURING HER SENIOR INTERNSHIP

Growing up, Aneesha had big dreams but struggled to break out of her shell. Her inability to build meaningful relationships led her to develop a negative view of the world, make bad decisions, and shut other people out. Then she found Genesys Works.

During summer training, Aneesha came out of her shell and transformed from a quiet student to the confident young professional that her peers now look to as a leader. She impressed her trainers by taking more initiative and pushing herself every day to improve her skills. Now an intern working in the corporate headquarters of Salesforce.com, Aneesha has become a valued member of her work team, further boosting her self-confidence and helping her to envision a brighter new future for herself.

Aneesha looks forward to attending college where she will study marketing and advertising. She hopes to use her degree to spread the word about the nonprofit organization for which she hopes to work in the future.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

CORPORATE SPOTLIGHT

18062

INTERNSHIPS PROVIDED BY MEDTRONIC SINCE 2009

SUPERVISORS ENGAGED IN LIFE-CHANGING MENTORSHIPS

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TOP 100 CORPORATE PARTNERS The commitment from our corporate partners is at the heart of our program’s success. We’re proud to highlight the Top 100 of our more than 200 business partners based on the number of meaningful internships provided.

From pdf

http://www.sidley.com/default.aspx

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In contrast to our historical top-down approach to geographic expansion, where we targeted cities and narrowed the field based on various factors, we are now employing more of a bottom-up model that emphasizes community desire and the willingness of local partners to help “pull” Genesys Works into their cities. Accordingly, we will consider any city for expansion that can make a case as to why Genesys Works is needed and how a program can be successfully launched and sustained.

The criteria we will utilize for evaluating and selecting new expansion cities falls under four primary categories: Schools, Companies, Funding, and Infrastructure. Examples of what we will evaluate in each of these four areas are listed below. Additional factors for consideration include the presence of other programs with similar missions or models, the support of key business and civic leaders, and the overall capabilities and commitment of local pull partners.

CITY SELECTION CRITERIA THE OPPORTUNITYTo achieve our vision of a future where all youth are equipped and empowered to attain career success and a lifetime of economic self-sufficiency, we are looking to expand our network of Genesys Works programs to new cities across the country. Our goal is to launch new programs in two to three cities per year.

Key to our new model for expansion are local partnerships, and we are actively seeking partners interested in helping bring Genesys Works to their communities. Partners can take many forms, from school district leaders recognizing the importance of learning beyond the classroom, to business leaders wishing to build their future workforce, to individuals seeking personal fulfillment through service to their communities. Local champions provide guidance as to the unique attributes and needs of their cities, help convene key stakeholders, and assist in the development of a community-tailored launch strategy.

Thanks to the generosity of the AT&T Foundation and others, we have the capacity to award up to $50,000 in planning grants to conduct feasibility studies in selected cities. This money can be used to hire a local consulting firm to perform an in-depth analysis of the opportunity for Genesys Works in your community. The market assessment will inform decisions made regarding market suitability and baseline requirements for a successful program launch.

If your city can benefit from the bridges we are building between education and business, let’s talk. Please visit the About Us section of our web site to begin the process of bringing Genesys Works to your community.

• Number of high schools with large concentrations of low-income students

• CTE programming and other work-based learning initiatives

• Support of district leadership and key high school principals

• Ability of students to leave school at mid-day during senior year for professional internships

• Employers committed to providing meaningful work experiences to students

• Recognition of need to develop skilled and diverse talent pipelines

• Interest in engaging employees in high-impact mentoring opportunities

• Corporate leaders recognizing the value of “doing well by doing good”

• Strength and vibrancy of philanthropic community

• Ability to raise at least $500,000 per year to launch program and sustain operations thereafter

• Opportunity for mix of foundation grants, sponsorships, and individual giving

• Talent pool from which to hire dynamic Executive Director and staff

• Opportunity to build high-caliber board of directors

• Ease of public transportation from schools to internships

• Professional office/training space close to public transportation hubs

FundingStudents / Schools Companies Infrastructure

Our primary expansion objective is to change the trajectory of life for as many high-potential urban high school students as possible. By changing the lives of youth, entire communities can be transformed.

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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS MODEL

BRING GENESYS WORKS TO YOUR CITY.Help Build a Community that Works.

Over the past 15 years, Genesys Works has transformed the lives of countless low-income youth through the work-based learning experiences we provide. It’s clear to see that Genesys Works. For students. For companies. For communities.

Now, let Genesys Works work for YOU.

Visit genesysworks.org/expansion to begin.

A key differentiator of Genesys Works compared to other nonprofit organizations is the high level of economic self-sufficiency achieved through the social enterprise we operate.

Our business model is simple, yet life-changing for the students we employ. We operate like a for-profit staffing contractor, training and hiring motivated high school seniors from low-income backgrounds to provide business technology services of value to our corporate clients. The margin between what students are paid and the billing rate to clients for services provided, funds a significant portion of our operating expenses. In fact, earned income from client billings typically funds nearly 80% of total program expenses by the fourth year of operations.

At Genesys Works, we’re taking a business approach to solving social and community problems. By providing real business value to corporate clients and engaging them as true partners in our youth development initiatives, we’re not only helping prepare today’s youth for the jobs of tomorrow, we’re building communities that work.

www.genesysworks.org/expansion14400 Memorial Drive, Suite 200Houston, TX 77079(713) 337-0522