SANTA CLARA, Calif. - (Business Wire) The Stride Center, a non-profit organization bringing high tech employment opportunities to underserved individuals, today is launching its Opportunity Partner program at an event hosted at Hitachi Data Systems in Santa Clara. The Stride Center helps corporations acquire local, highly qualified IT talent, find meaningful community re-investment opportunities, and achieve technology reuse goals. The program and event are being sponsored by Full Circle Fund, an engaged philanthropy organization that is cultivating the next generation of community leaders and driving lasting social change in the Bay Area.
California State Treasurer, Bill Lockyer, will be participating in the event as the keynote speaker, offering remarks about how proactive partnerships between community-serving organizations and local enterprises can offer long term employment solutions and help to stimulate the economy in a sustainable way.
The Stride Center’s Opportunity Partner Program offers a complete community engagement strategy for business enterprise in the areas of: volunteerism, donated equipment, employment opportunity, financial giving, and community visibility. In becoming an Opportunity Partner with The Stride Center, businesses are also helping to retrain adults in low wage jobs for higher paying careers in IT.
“Workforce redevelopment and retraining will be vital to helping California achieve its economic goals,” said California State Treasurer, Bill Lockyer. “The Stride Center’s Opportunity Program offers a solution for meeting market demands while significantly strengthening employment opportunities in our communities.”
According to a recently released Joint Venture: Silicon Valley Network and Silicon Valley Community Foundation report, the 2009 Silicon Valley Index, the Silicon Valley needs to fill 30,000 jobs annually until 2016, particularly in population-driven industries such as health services, education, retail, transportation, government administration and other local serving industries.
“Hitachi Data Systems works with the Stride Center because of the real need to develop and hire local talent in support of the economy and workforce here at home,” said Alan Cade, vice president, Technical Operations, Hitachi Data Systems. “The Opportunity Partner program demonstrates how a community can come together around solutions and directly impact lives.”
“By partnering with The Stride Center, we are able to help workers in urban communities realize higher incomes in entirely new careers. Being a financial and software donor to The Stride Center is an opportunity to advance environmental stewardship and address poverty head on,” said James Parker, general manager, Northwest Region, Microsoft Corporation.
“At Chevron, we are proud to partner The Stride Center,” said Mike Coyle, Chevron’s Richmond Refinery General Manager. “The Stride Center is assisting men and women in our community with career development and economic self sufficiency through training and education. We both recognize that an investment in education and job training is an investment in Richmond’s future economic growth.”
Event Details
The Stride Center Opportunity Program kick-off event, Harnessing Technology and Changing Lives, is being held today, Friday, May 15, 2009, from 9 am to 11 am at Hitachi Data Systems, 750 Central Expressway, Building 34, Santa Clara, CA 95050. Breakfast will be provided.
Executives from Hitachi Data Systems, Chevron and Microsoft Corporation will share their experiences about partnering with The Stride Center.
California State Treasurer, Bill Lockyer will end the event with his keynote remarks. For journalists who would like to interview Mr. Lockyer, a press conference will be held after his presentation.
For more information, contact Michelle Shutzer, Associate Director for The Stride Center, at 510-234-1300.
About The Stride Center
Unlike other workforce development organizations, The Stride Center has created an eco-system for community engagement that builds a sustainable path out of poverty for low-income individuals while helping organizations meet their recruiting, diversity and corporate social responsibility objectives. By working with The Stride Center, companies can help to end poverty while hiring high quality IT workers. Companies can partner with the organization in a number of ways – through providing jobs and internships for graduates, offering computer and electronic equipment for refurbishing and use in training centers, donating capital and volunteering time. For more information, visit www.stridecenter.org or call 510-234-1300.
TopMind PR
Andrea Corry, 925-640-5482
andrea@topmindpr.com
