New York, United States and London, United Kingdom, 15th February 2024 – The Hg Foundation, a grant-giving charity focused on improving tech education and skills, is pleased to launch a new $1 million partnership with Upwardly Global to support 250 immigrant and refugee women to attain and succeed in tech jobs.

In the US, over 2 million college-educated refugees and immigrants face under- or un-employment. It is this very group that Upwardly Global supports. Since 2000, Upwardly Global has been helping individuals rebuild professional careers in the US and has placed nearly 11,000 immigrants and refugees into skill-aligned roles. As a result of their support, average starting salaries for those placing in tech roles are $70k - representing a $55k average income gain to candidates who were previously in low-wage work or unemployed, often for several years.  

The Hg Foundation and Upwardly Global’s new programme, “Empowering Refugee and Immigrant Women for Future-Ready Tech Roles”, will reach 250 immigrant and refugee women over three years. The programme comprises industry-specific coaching, re-and upskilling, networking, mentorship and job placement support. The organisation will also scale its suite of tech-enabled tools for job seekers via its learning management platform, that hosts an eLearning library of job readiness training modules. 

Jina Krause-Vilmar, President and CEO of Upwardly Global, said: "We're thrilled to partner with The Hg Foundation in advancing hundreds of refugee and immigrant women for future-ready tech careers. At Upwardly Global, we understand that a person’s career extends its impact far beyond the individual — it signifies the transformation of entire families and communities. Together, we're creating stories of resilience, celebrating inclusion, and paving the way for an equitable future of work.

Olena Ostasheva, a member of the Capital Markets team at Hg who supported the development of the partnership, said: “We are delighted to partner with Upwardly Global on this high-impact and important programme. Many immigrants and refugees in the US are highly educated with significant experience and advanced qualifications. However, they can face significant barriers to attaining professional, skill-aligned opportunities. Upwardly Global’s programme speaks directly to The Hg Foundation’s mission of ensuring that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, and we look forward to seeing this programme develop.”

About the Hg Foundation:
The Hg Foundation’s vision is that the tech workforce of the future harnesses the talents of all, regardless of background.  It does this by supporting education and employment-based programmes across the UK, USA and Europe where it can demonstrate measurable, long-term and scalable impact and make a difference to those that need it most.  To date it has committed $25m to programmes that will reach over 50,000 young people and adults from under-represented backgrounds. The Hg Foundation is registered Charity no. 1189216.

Find out more at https://www.thehgfoundation.com/

About Upwardly Global:
Upwardly Global’s mission is to eliminate employment barriers for low-income immigrant, refugee, and asylee professionals and to advance their inclusion into the U.S. economy. Since 2000, Upwardly Global has empowered unemployed or underemployed newcomers with the skills, career coaching, and social capital needed to rebuild their lives and careers.

Learn more at http://upwardlyglobal.org