BMO Helps Eliminate Barriers to Employment by Supporting Goodwill’s BankWork$ Program
February 28, 2024 – Goodwill of Colorado was awarded a $15,000 grant from BMO to support the nonprofit’s BankWork$ program.
BankWork$ is a free, interactive, eight-week training program for adults with barriers to employment. The program offers participants a pathway to a career in the financial services industry as tellers, customer service representatives, and personal bankers. The course curriculum and hands-on training includes job interview preparation, placement assistance at leading banks throughout Colorado and ongoing coaching and mentoring to help with career advancement. BankWork$ is the first and only program of its kind endorsed by the Colorado Bankers Association.
“BMO is proud to support the BankWork$ program, which helps individuals make progress towards a fulfilling career in the financial services industry,” said Bill Pell, Regional President, Mountain, BMO. “BMO is committed to driving positive change in the world and our ongoing support of education, mentorship, and professional development opportunities is grounded in our Purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life.
Thanks to generous support from community partners like BMO, Goodwill’s BankWork$ program has successfully trained and prepared 600 participants for employment with a combined graduation, career placement, and one-year retention rate average of 78%. Recent BankWork$ graduate, Soha now works for BMO after migrating from Beirut several years ago with a dream of working at a bank. When Soha first arrived in the U.S., she was working two jobs for 14 hours a day before being introduced to the BankWork$ program by a bank teller while depositing a check.
Soha excitedly enrolled in the program and studied hard both in and out of the classroom; and her dedication paid off. After graduating from BankWork$, Soha interviewed and was offered a job with BMO, where she applied the skills learned in the classroom to her everyday tasks. Soha is now living her dream as a banking professional and has proven herself as a top performing team member. Soha’s advice to others like her pursuing their dreams, “Never give up, keep shining and always stay positive about reaching your goal.”
For additional information on BankWork$ visit GoodwillColorado.org/services/bankworks or apply by emailing KH*******@Go**************.org or calling 303-386-2936.
About Goodwill of Colorado
Goodwill of Colorado helps transform people’s lives. We are a registered 501(c)3 organization providing career placement, education and training, and community programs for nearly 150,000 Coloradans each year—including military veterans, seniors, youth, and individuals who have a personal or economic barrier to employment. For more than a century, Goodwill has supported Colorado communities and through our commitment to sustainability annually diverts more than 180 million pounds of donated items from Colorado landfills. Learn more about our impact here.
About BMO Financial Group
BMO Financial Group is the eighth largest bank in North America by assets, with total assets of $1.3 trillion as of October 31, 2023. Serving customers for 200 years and counting, BMO is a diverse team of highly engaged employees providing a broad range of personal and commercial banking, wealth management, global markets and investment banking products and services to 13 million customers across Canada, the United States, and in select markets globally. Driven by a single purpose, to Boldly Grow the Good in business and life, BMO is committed to driving positive change in the world, and making progress for a thriving economy, sustainable future, and inclusive society.