Regional Business Council supports NPower in St. Louis with $25,000 grant

ST. LOUIS – The St. Louis Regional Business Council is awarding a $25,000 grant to support NPower St. Louis, a national nonprofit that provides certification and training in IT and professional skills as well as job placement assistance to military veterans and young adults from underserved communities.

NPower has demonstrated successful results in five major U.S. markets. Over the past five years, NPower has placed more than 1,000 graduates in what it says are well-paying careers.

“We, at the RBC, applaud Matt Horner, David Steward and Jim Kavanaugh of World Wide Technology, Inc. for steering this program to St. Louis,” said Kathy Osborn, president and CEO, St. Louis RBC. “We are delighted to provide $25,000 to support the inaugural St. Louis class.”

NPower’s programs and curriculum are informed by industry leaders and St. Louis market trends. The organization has partnered with the U.S. Department of Labor, Office and Apprenticeship and the St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment (SLATE).

NPower St. Louis is a registered Apprenticeship Trainer for Information Technology Generalist Apprenticeships, the first designation in Missouri. St. Louis is one the first cities in the country to offer this apprenticeship; classes will take place on the campus of Harris-Stowe State University.

“I am thrilled about the opportunities created as a result of businesses, educational institutions and government working together to strengthen our local workforce,” said Trina Clark James, regional director, NPower St. Louis. “Next month our first group of young adults will graduate and we look forward to seeing how their IT careers progress. Our collective success is made possible with support such as this from the Regional Business Council.”

It is estimated that more than 50 percent of all jobs require some degree of technology and digital skill. That is expected to grow to 77 percent by 2020 in the U.S. Of the nearly 6 million jobs expected to require tech skills in the future, labor statistics project a candidate pool of only 3.2 million.

NPower provides no-cost IT career training, industry-recognized credentials and paid internships and job opportunities with Fortune 500 companies. For more information, visit NPower.org and follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

The Regional Business Council is a consortium of presidents and chief executive officers of mid- to large-sized companies in St. Louis. The mission of the RBC is to unite and engage members to act on high-impact business, civic and philanthropic affairs for the betterment of the St. Louis region. www.stlrbc.org

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