Making new careers possible for immigrants and refugees
Lulu was one of the most accomplished female engineers in Saudi Arabia, graduating at the top of her class in a technical STEM field and advancing in her career against all local cultural norms. Yet when she fled to the US as an asylee she could only find work as a bartender, as employers struggled to translate her experience and credentials to a US employment context. She is just one of over 2 million immigrants who are underemployed in the US, meaning that many have degrees or certifications for higher wage jobs than they currently hold.
It’s a lose-lose situation for newcomers and for the US, with individuals barely able to support their families and the country not able to get the benefit of their expertise.
There is an extensive set of cultural and systemic barriers driving immigrant underemployment that results in these families and the US economy being set back. One key factor is, like Lulu experienced, a lack of recognition of their existing qualifications and skills. As a result, many newcomers are often guided into "survival jobs" that do not pay a living wage, do not offer opportunities for career advancement, and do not value their skills.
Our latest grant, of $750,000 to Upwardly Global, will fund a program to expand access to online, self-paced training for recent immigrants, refugees, and asylees navigating the US labor market to secure skill-aligned, professional employment. This grant will also expand a technology platform that will provide this service to large-scale resettlement and immigrant support organizations, greatly increasing training access.
Upwardly Global has successfully supported over 9,800 recent immigrants out of poverty, including Lulu who has been promoted at a major consulting firm following her support from Upwardly Global. The GitLab Foundation is excited to partner with Upwardly Global to significantly scale the number of people that can benefit from their technology platforms.
Return on Investment
375x ROI
This project is estimated to increase annual earnings by $19,025 per person, for a total additional lifetime earnings of $398,132 per person
Total lifetime earnings increase across all participants: $1,248,542,037
$750,000 invested
