Grant funding is being used to share career expertise and to grow partnership opportunities
Making Waves Education Foundation earned a $100,000 Ad Grant from LinkedIn to support workforce development for young professionals overcoming barriers. Making Waves is using the funding to make career resources more accessible and support college students and recent graduates in reaching their career goals.
The transition from being in school to being employed isn’t always easy. Only 13% of Gen Z teens feel prepared to make a decision about their future, according to the ECMC Group’s Question the Quo Education Pulse survey. And according to the Talent Disrupted report, more than 50% of bachelor’s degree graduates are underemployed in their first jobs, which influences the rest of their career trajectory and earning potential.
For first-generation college students and graduates, there are even more barriers. According to a National Association of Colleges and Employers report, more than 75% of non-first-generation college students leverage their parents and families as resources in their job search, compared to 55% of first-generation students. A higher percentage of first-generation students used online resources – like articles, publications, and virtual career services – compared to non-first-generation peers.
Making career and internship resources more accessible online
This is why Making Waves is using the workforce development grant funding to make their expert career and internship resources more accessible online – from resume and cover letter builders to tips for interviews and networking to panel discussions with corporations and HR professionals.
“We know there are so many positive benefits of internships,” shared Dr. Kristina Wright (she/her), VP of student success at Making Waves.
“In the short-term, internships offer students the opportunity to build their resumes, explore different career options, and grow their network and confidence. In the long-term, internships lead to increased chances of full-time job offers, higher salaries, and even more career satisfaction.”
“Unfortunately, there are barriers in the way of reaching internship opportunities, particularly for Hispanic students from 2- and 4-year programs and Black students from 2-year programs, who are most likely to miss out on internships, which is why we’re focused on supporting our students in finding, obtaining, and succeeding in internships,” shared Dr. Wright.
Promoting equity and building partnerships
“One of our core values at Making Waves is to promote equity,” shared Bonnie Shea (she/her), VP of marketing and storytelling at Making Waves.
“One of the ways we live out this value is by making college, financial, and career resources more accessible on our digital channels. We’re excited to use the LinkedIn Ad Grant to share bite-sized career guidance as well as toolkits for navigating job and internship searches, interviews, offers, and networking,” shared Shea.
Making Waves is also using the grant funding to reach potential corporate and foundation partners looking to build a more diverse workforce, increase pipelines to first job opportunities, and engage their employees as mentors for first-generation college students and graduates.
“We support historically underrepresented students to reach their college and career goals,” shared Justin Douglas (he/him), director of corporate and foundation partnerships at Making Waves.
“Partnerships are a win-win since they create more opportunities and resources for students and at the same time connect companies with future employees,” Douglas said.
“We are incredibly grateful to LinkedIn for this generous grant funding and we’re looking forward to helping create a more diverse and inclusive workforce and economy,” shared Douglas.
Let’s partner!
At Making Waves, we know corporate and community partnerships are a win-win.
Together we can support historically underrepresented students in developing their career skills and we can build a more diverse workforce – all while boosting your organization’s brand awareness and employee engagement.
