New York, NY, 13th November 2024, ZEX PR WIRE, Keystone Advisory Network (KAN), an emerging force in talent recruitment innovation, is proud to announce the launch of its groundbreaking platform, KANupskill.org, on November 15, 2024. Designed to revolutionize how corporations engage and recruit diverse talent, KAN is creating a direct bridge between corporate mentors and top-tier students from underrepresented backgrounds across the nation.
KAN was founded by visionary entrepreneur and DEI expert, Tracey Pennywell, alongside seasoned corporate executive Heyward Damon, Jr. Together, they are reshaping how corporate America engages with diverse, upskilled students. The goal: to facilitate meaningful mentorship relationships through corporate volunteer programs, enabling corporations to engage with young talent while students are still in school, ensuring these candidates are top of mind upon graduation or when pursuing internships.
“North American businesses are projected to lose around $5.5 trillion by 2026 due to unaddressed IT skill gaps, part of which can be mitigated by upskilling Gen Z employees in relevant technologies,” according to the Financial Times.
“Failing to upskill Gen Z and underrepresented workers isn’t just an oversight—it’s an economic time bomb threatening the backbone of corporate America. We must equip our workforce to thrive in our evolving economy, or face a collective financial catastrophe that could derail our nation’s prosperity,” said Tracey Pennywell, CEO of KAN Upskill.
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Empowering Students to Succeed
KAN goes beyond traditional recruitment efforts by providing a rich community for students, equipping them with career prep tools such as AI-powered resume building, video tutorials on interview success, financial literacy, software tutorials and much more. Students will also have access to virtual guest speakers, mentorship opportunities, and professional upskilling through gamification and certifications, allowing them to enhance their resumes and LinkedIn profiles.
By fostering continuous learning and career development, KAN’s platform ensures that the more time students spend within its ecosystem, the more well-rounded and skilled they become as candidates, further increasing their value to corporate partners.
Revolutionizing Corporate Mentorship and Recruitment
KANupskill.org is designed to foster ongoing engagement between corporations and a rich, diverse talent pool. The platform’s unique approach centers on:
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Corporate Volunteerism & Mentorship: Employees can volunteer as mentors through virtual webinars and customized onsite events that focus on career prep, including resume reviews, interview tips, and industry insights. This continuous engagement allows corporations to maintain an active presence in the lives of potential hires.
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Customized Recruitment Pipelines: Law firms, tech companies, Fortune 500 corporations and more can build long-term relationships with top diverse students across U.S. colleges/universities, even from their first year of law school or undergraduate programs. KAN facilitates early connections that give these firms a competitive edge in securing the best talent.
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Specialized Talent Across Disciplines: KAN caters to a variety of student populations, spanning STEM majors, law school students, graduate students, and more. This diverse network enables companies with specialized recruitment needs to tap into highly employable, talent across the nation—from women in tech to students from HBCUs, Hispanic-serving institutions and underrepresented students at top-ranked universities.
“We want to be the Keystone of your business strategy, to recruit, retain, and develop a successful diverse workforce,” said Heyward Damon, Jr, President/KAN.
Tech companies, for example, can leverage KAN’s vast pool of STEM majors to enhance their recruitment of diverse talent. By accessing this largely untapped network, companies can proactively engage with future leaders in fields like software engineering, data science, and cybersecurity. Whether they are targeting young women in tech, minority STEM students, or graduate-level researchers, tech companies can tailor their outreach to these skilled candidates, offering them mentorship and career development opportunities early in their academic journeys. This approach not only strengthens a company’s diverse recruitment pipeline but helps build lasting relationships with students who will be top-tier talent upon graduation.
Law firms can also use KAN to establish year-long virtual mentoring relationships with top law students early in their academic careers, helping to secure diverse talent before they are inundated with competing offers.
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Cost-Effective, Tailored Programming: KAN provides scalable solutions for corporations seeking to engage through monthly, quarterly, or semi-annual programs. These mentorship initiatives are customized to fit corporate needs, offering a dynamic and interactive method for sourcing and developing future employees.
About KAN Upskill:
KAN Upskill is committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace by connecting corporations with upskilled, underrepresented talent from across the nation. Through innovative mentorship, career prep programs, and tailored recruitment strategies, KAN is empowering corporations to meet their DEI goals while fostering the development of the next generation of diverse leaders.
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Tracey Pennwell
Disclaimer: The views, suggestions, and opinions expressed here are the sole responsibility of the experts. No Master of Financial journalist was involved in the writing and production of this article.