Two new organizations join six others that
will have received CA$3.5 million in funding from TD by 2026
to help people build and strengthen technology skills
TORONTO, May 16, 2024
/CNW/ - As the pace of technological change moves faster than it
ever has before, TD Bank Group (TD) today announced two new
initiatives that received funding from TD through the TD Ready
Commitment to support underrepresented and underserved communities
by helping to enhance their employability in a changing job market.
The two organizations, which support women and members of the
Indigenous community, offer skills-building programs and training
for members to build and enhance their technology accumen.
The two organizations are:
- Making Changes Employment Association of Alberta – a non-profit organization
focused on providing women with the skills and resources to pursue
meaningful educational and employment opportunities, received
CA$50,000 in funding from TD through the TD Ready Commitment for
their Women in Technology (WIT) program. The WIT program aims to
provide upskilling training to unemployed or underemployed
immigrant and Indigenous women in Calgary.
- Mi'kmaw Economic Benefits Office - a non-profit organization
focused on increasing the employability of its community members
and supporting the development and growth of local entrepreneurs,
received CA$40,000 in funding from TD through the TD Ready
Commitment for their Indigenous Cyber Security Program and
Indigenous Blue Seal Program. Both programs aim to help community
members enhance their employability in the STEM space, take on
leadership positions, or start their own business.
"At TD, one of the ways we deliver on our purpose to help enrich
lives is by supporting organizations that offer new skills training
and entrepreneurship opportunities geared towards improving income
stability" said Alicia Rose,
Associate Vice President, Social Impact, Sustainability and
Corporate Citizenship. "Through the TD Ready Commitment, the Bank's
corporate citizenship platform, and our other philanthropic
platforms and programs, we are proud to support organizations
focused on helping people to build and strengthen skills required
for the jobs of today and tomorrow. In doing so, our hope is that
individuals and communities will be better equipped to thrive in a
changing world."
These initiatives are the latest in a series of philanthropic
contributions from TD in support of the jobs of the future. The six
other organizations that will have received a total of CA$3.5
million in funding from TD by 2026 to help enhance employability
are:
- Accessible Community Counselling and Employment Services
(A.C.C.E.S.). which will receive CA$900,000 in funding from
the Bank through the TD Ready Commitment distributed over 3 years
starting in 2023, for programs focused on helping women newcomers
upskill existing skills and qualifications and secure employment in
their field. These programs are focused on helping to build
employability skills for women newcomers with a focus on STEM,
digital, and market-relevant skills. Participants are connected to
professional mentors, networking opportunities and ultimately to
employment commensurate with their education and experience in the
tech space.
- Black Boys Code Society which will receive CA$836,304 in
funding from the Bank through the TD Ready Commitment distributed
over 3 years starting in 2022, for their Black Youth After
School Program & Summer Technology Camp, with a focus on their
'Learning Math Through Code' curriculum. Black Youth After School
Program & Summer Technology Camp programming aims to provide
Black girls and boys in nine cities across Canada with the knowledge to enable them to
consider an educational path that leads to careers in
technology.
- Skills for Change will receive CA$750, 000 in funding from
the Bank through the TD Ready Commitment to be distributed over 3
years starting in 2023, for their TechForward: Black Women in Data
Analytics initiative which provides comprehensive data analytics,
business skills, entrepreneurship, career development, wellness,
and sector navigation curriculum to internationally educated,
trained, or experienced women from Toronto's Black community. This donation
followed the Bank's previous support of Skills for Change's pilot
program of Women on the Rise: Data Analytics Bridge-to-Work for
Black Canadian Women. This new funding will be applied to help
expand their TechForward: Black Women in Data Analytics
programming, enable updated workshops, panels, and market-level
data analytics courses to new, enlarged cohorts of participants,
and keep pilot alumni engaged.
- Tech Kids Unlimited (TKU) received US$50,000 in funding from the Bank through the TD
Charitable Foundation in 2023 for their "Career Ladder"
program which is a US program focused on helping neurodiverse
students and people with autism to attain better job opportunities
through work-based learning modules for computer science,
technology skills, and social emotional learning, as well as
providing 6-week workplace internship programs.
- The McKenna Institute at University
of New Brunswick received a CA$750,000 grant in 2022
from the Bank through the TD Ready Challenge for their Indigenous
Youth Digital Acceleration Program focused on helping to bridge the
digital gap for Indigenous youth.
- Venture for Canada will
receive CA$255,000 in funding from the Bank through the TD Ready
Commitment distributed over 3 years starting in 2023 for their
Sustainable Futures Fellowship Program focused on helping to
support change, nurture progress, and contribute to making the
world a better, more inclusive place.
"As new innovations, like AI, change how every industry
operates, it's important that job seekers from all backgrounds have
access to training for the jobs of the future," said Tim Clark, Senior Vice President, Commercial and
Corporate Platforms, TD Bank Group. "At TD, we've focused on
building a diverse tech talent base, with ongoing upskilling and
reskilling to help support our colleagues in growing their careers.
I'm proud to work for an organization that is helping to support
the tech talent of tomorrow."
Today's announcement is part of TD Tech and Innovation Day, an
annual event showcasing the Bank's unique technology and innovation
story. This year's theme is Human-Centered Innovation which
highlights the people behind our innovation and the customers,
colleagues, and communities we innovate for.
About The TD Ready Commitment
TD has a long-standing commitment to enriching the lives of its
customers, colleagues and communities. As part of its corporate
citizenship platform, the TD Ready Commitment, TD is targeting CDN
$1 billion in total by 2030 towards
community giving in four areas critical to help open doors for a
more inclusive and sustainable tomorrow – Financial Security,
Vibrant Planet, Connected Communities and Better Health. Through
the TD Ready Commitment, TD aspires to link its business,
philanthropy and human capital to help people feel more confident -
not just about their finances, but also in their ability to achieve
their personal goals in a changing world. For further information,
visit td.com/tdreadycommitment.
About TD Bank Group
The Toronto-Dominion Bank and its subsidiaries are collectively
known as TD Bank Group ("TD" or the "Bank"). TD is the sixth
largest bank in North America by assets and serves over
27.5 million customers in four key businesses operating in a number
of locations in financial centres around the globe: Canadian
Personal and Commercial Banking, including TD Canada Trust and TD
Auto Finance Canada; U.S. Retail, including TD Bank, America's Most
Convenient Bank®, TD Auto Finance U.S., TD Wealth
(U.S.), and an investment in The Charles Schwab Corporation; Wealth
Management and Insurance, including TD Wealth (Canada), TD Direct Investing, and TD
Insurance; and Wholesale Banking, including TD Securities and TD
Cowen. TD also ranks among the world's leading online financial
services firms, with more than 17 million active online and mobile
customers. TD had $1.91 trillion in assets
on January 31, 2024. The Toronto-Dominion Bank trades under
the symbol "TD" on the Toronto and New York Stock
Exchanges.
SOURCE TD Bank Group