HOUSTON, Nov. 4, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Genesys Works - Houston has helped nearly 1,400 economically disadvantaged high school students prepare for productive careers. With a boost from Chase, Genesys Works is poised to help hundreds more – many from the city's Hispanic community through its new West Side Training Center opening on November 7.

The center is located on the Alief Hayes campus of Houston Community College (HCC) and was built with support from a $50,000 grant from Chase. The programs conducted by Genesys Works - Houston will enable local high school students to enter and thrive in the economic mainstream by providing them with the knowledge and work experience required to succeed as professionals. HCC's coordination with Genesys Works, with support from Chase, complements existing programs from Genesys Works that work to supply skilled-workforce graduates to the greater Houston area and address the shortage of highly-trained workers.

A key element of the Genesys Works training model is 40 Days/40 Ways, an intensive summer training program to prepare students for corporate internships in information technology, engineering drafting or accounting/finance. Since 2006, Chase has provided more than 35 Genesys Works-trained students with 20-hour-per-week internships, providing significant work experience as they prepare to attend college or enter the workforce.

"Today's students are tomorrow's workers, and Genesys Works is successfully preparing Houston students to be skilled and qualified employees," said Gina Luna, Chairman of Chase in Houston. "We eagerly await the opportunity to provide internships to the talented students who complete Genesys Works training at the West Side Training Center."

"Chase is spearheading efforts to bridge education and employment in Houston, and our partnership helps ensure that Houston's high-wage, high-demand jobs will be filled with qualified applicants," said Marian Davenport, Executive Director, Genesys Works - Houston.

In its 11-year history in Houston, Genesys Works has impacted the lives of more than 1,400 Houston-area high school students. Approximately two-thirds of the students who pass through Genesys Works' programs are Hispanic. At the conclusion of the training and internship program, over 95 percent of students go on to postsecondary education, as compared to half of all graduates from the Houston Independent School District. 

Chase uses its strength and global reach, expertise, relationships, and access to capital to invest in its clients and communities to make a positive impact in cities around the world. In Houston, Chase awards grants to area community colleges to increase the number of students in workforce education and training. Also, Gina Luna co-chairs the Greater Houston Partnership's Regional Workforce Task Force, an initiative to increase the number of people qualified to fill middle skill jobs in life-long careers.  

The bank is actively involved with other Texas-based Hispanic-serving non-profit organizations.  Chase representatives sit on the board and help coordinate career development workshops and other trainings for the Greater Dallas Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. Chase presented a $5 million grant in 2011 to support the micro lending efforts of ACCION Texas, a San Antonio-based nonprofit that offers credit and services to small businesses and entrepreneurs who do not have access to loans from commercial sources.

Throughout the country, Chase partners with non-profits serving the Hispanic community by boosting access to affordable housing, workforce development opportunities and revitalization efforts. In the past two years, the bank has invested nearly $25 million with organizations such as Genesys Works. For more information, visit www.chase.com/micomunidad.

NOTE FOR MEDIA: Media are invited to attend the West Side Training Center Grand Opening on Thursday, Nov. 7, at 5:30 p.m. For more details and to RSVP, please contact Alejandra Cadiz at alejandra.cadiz@ketchum.com or 404-879-9289.

About Chase  Chase has 218 branches and more than 7,500 employees in the Houston area. The company's philanthropic goal is simple - be the catalyst to meaningful, positive, and sustainable change. In 2012, JPMorgan Chase and its Foundation gave more than $190 million to thousands of nonprofit organizations across 42 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and 37 countries around the world. More information about Chase is available at www.chase.com.

About Genesys WorksGenesys Works is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that enables inner-city high school students to break through barriers and discover through meaningful work experience that they can succeed as professionals in the corporate world. Visit www.genesysworks.org.

SOURCE Chase

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