Latest news with #JumpStart
Business Times
5 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
Accenture supports mentorship programmes for pre-employment youths
[SINGAPORE] Professional services company Accenture announced that it is supporting youth mentorship programmes this year, at its 50th anniversary dinner at Raffles Hotel on Monday (Jun 2). In partnership with The Astronauts Collective (TAC), the programmes target pre-employment youths and aim to provide them with skills and exposure to the digital economy. TAC is a charity that helps youths explore the working world and find meaningful careers. Through the programmes, Accenture employees will act as mentors and provide career guidance. They plan to commit 5,000 hours over two years and work mainly with secondary and tertiary students who are still in school. Mark Tham, country managing director of Accenture Singapore, said: 'Globally, many developed countries are struggling because of problems with youth. This is something we want to prevent from happening. With the right infrastructure and education system we have here, there's no reason for us to leave the youth unmanaged.' In particular, youths will learn about cybersecurity, problem-solving, critical thinking, digital literacy and emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI). 'As a net talent creator, we are focused on growing Singapore's digital talent pipeline – equipping individuals with future-ready skills and creating opportunities that extend beyond our own workforce,' he said. A NEWSLETTER FOR YOU Friday, 2 pm Lifestyle Our picks of the latest dining, travel and leisure options to treat yourself. Sign Up Sign Up Tham added that the company will draw on its 'global expertise in AI, skilling and digital transformation' while supporting Singapore's Smart Nation 2.0 strategy, which aims to position the country as a global hub for innovation and technology. Accenture is supporting TAC's Day X Program, a hands-on workshop that introduces youths to opportunities in tech and consulting. It is also partnering TAC for the JumpStart Career Mentoring Programme, which provides personalised support for students. JumpStart will run for six months and assist youths in their school-to-work transition. It aims to help them search and explore career options, secure opportunities, start a new job on good footing, and sustain their career while growing their skill set. After Accenture volunteers sign up, TAC trains them and pairs youths with a mentoring case manager who gives personalised support. Participants in JumpStart also have access to individual mentors, with a 1:1 mentor-to-mentee ratio. Day X started in May, and will roll out again in October. Meanwhile, JumpStart will commence later this year. Tham said there is potential for the programmes to be scaled up and for the volunteers to commit more hours. TAC has benefited more than 40,000 youths since 2015. It connected with Accenture via Mentoring SG, a movement launched by then deputy prime minister Lawrence Wong in end-2022 offering mentoring opportunities to youths. On Monday, Accenture also announced that it would donate S$500,000 to the President's Challenge, in line with its 50th anniversary and SG60 this year. The initiative will support 60 programmes from 52 organisations in 2025. The company will join Community Chest's Share programme, which allows employees to donate to social causes on a monthly basis. Accenture has around 3,600 employees and has partnered government agencies such as the Ministry of Health and Changi Airport for digitalisation initiatives.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Launches JumpStart Initiative, Bringing Louisiana High School Students to Chicago for Immersive Experience at the National Restaurant Association Show
ProStart students from W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center selected for a weekend of restaurant-focused learning and interaction through the first-ever JumpStart grant. CHICAGO, May 15, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- As part of its commitment to empower the restaurant and foodservice leaders of the future, the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation will bring a group of high school students from the W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center in Lafayette, Louisiana, to Chicago for an immersive, industry-focused learning experience during this weekend's National Restaurant Association Show – part of its first-ever JumpStart initiative. JumpStart – will give students a front-row look at the trends and people shaping the restaurant and foodservice industry, showcasing the limitless opportunities that are available in the sector that currently employs more than 15.7 million Americans. Imagined and brought to life by former National Restaurant Association Chair Scott Redler, co-founder of Freddy's Frozen Custard & Steakburgers, JumpStart was created to augment the ProStart classroom experience through real-world interaction with the restaurant industry and its leaders. The Foundation created the program in the fall of 2024, and students from W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center were selected for the Foundation's inaugural JumpStart grant. As part of the application process, students were asked to explain how the JumpStart experience would benefit their restaurant career aspirations, while educators explained how the trip would improve their ProStart classroom experience. Learn why the experience is important to these young ProStart students here. "JumpStart is a unique way to cultivate and invest in the next generation of restaurant industry talent – a mission that is a cornerstone of the Foundation's work," said Rob Gifford, president of the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation. "I'm excited to witness the ways this immersive experience sparks imagination and wonder in these students around the excitement in our industry – along with the knowledge that they can be part of it." Highlights of the JumpStart experience include: Industry Immersion: Students will visit The National Restaurant Association Show, where they will have the chance to see the latest trends, innovations, and technologies in the restaurant industry. Expert Interactions: The students will meet with industry experts, including Chef Carla Hall, gaining insights and advice that will help them begin their career journey in the culinary field. Comprehensive Coverage: The grant covers all essential expenses, including travel, accommodation, and participation fees, ensuring a stress-free and enriching experience for the students and their educator. ProStart – the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation's nationwide career and technical education program – has equipped more than 1 million high school students with career-ready culinary and restaurant management skills. The program is designed to equip students with restaurant-specific certifications and competencies, over 400 hours of practical work experience, and access to restaurant and hospitality apprenticeship and scholarship opportunities. Students complete the ProStart program ready to join a professional kitchen or advance to higher education. Today, the program reaches 222,000 students at 2,200 schools. Learn more about how ProStart is investing in tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice leaders here. About ProStart®ProStart®, a nationwide, two-year high school career and technical education program uniting the classroom and restaurant industry, reaches nearly 222,000 students at almost 2,200 high schools throughout all states, the District of Columbia, Guam, and Puerto Rico. ProStart gives students a platform to discover and develop new interests and talents, while teaching employability skills like teamwork, professional behavior, time management and communication. About the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation (NRAEF):As the supporting philanthropic foundation of the National Restaurant Association, the NRAEF's charitable mission includes enhancing the industry's training and education, career development, and community engagement efforts. The NRAEF and its programs work to Attract, Empower, and Advance today's and tomorrow's restaurant and foodservice workforce. NRAEF programs include: ProStart® – a high-school career and technical education program; Restaurant Ready/HOPES – Partnering with community based organizations to provide people with skills training and job opportunities; Military – helping military servicemen and women transition their skills to restaurant and foodservice careers; Scholarships – financial assistance for students pursuing restaurant, foodservice and hospitality degrees; and the Restaurant & Hospitality Leadership Center (RHLC) – accredited apprenticeship programs designed to build the careers of service professionals. For more information on the NRAEF, visit View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Democrats in Washington Legislature reveal sweeping new tax plan
The Washington state Capitol on Nov. 11, 2024. (Bill Lucia/Washington State Standard) Democratic lawmakers in Washington are beginning to lay out the buffet of tax increases they want to use to fill most of a $16 billion state budget shortfall. There are hikes in business and capital gains taxes, new sales taxes on services and greater property tax collections by the state and local governments. Other selections include an increase in a surcharge on technology companies, an expanded tax on nicotine products, and a mandate for some large businesses to make a one-time pre-payment of sales tax owed to the state. Major financial institutions will pay a little more, too. And there's a surcharge on corporations with more than $250 million in annual revenue that starts Jan. 1, 2026, and lasts four years. Among those exempted from that surcharge is Boeing. A pivotal question now is whether Democratic Gov. Bob Ferguson endorses the slate of tax measures. His office did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Last month, House and Senate Democrats rolled out separate packages to raise up to $21 billion. But Ferguson threw cold water on their desire to tax those with more than $50 million, a pillar in both approaches. The governor said this proposal was 'untested, difficult to implement, and most importantly, for purposes of adopting a sustainable budget, will face an immediate challenge in court.' That sent legislators searching for new options. They came up with a whole bunch. They also discarded a payroll tax modeled on Seattle's JumpStart tax that would have been levied on companies with large payrolls and highly-paid employees. This was another central plank in their earlier tax plans. The new approach still relies on many of the state's corporate and banking giants to pay more. It also still targets wealthier individual taxpayers with the addition of a second tier of the state's capital gains tax, which took effect in 2022 and has been upheld in court. Washington imposes a 7% tax on gains over $270,000 from the sale or exchange of long-term assets like stocks, bonds and business interests. Senate Bill 5813 and House Bill 2082 call for a new 9.9% tax on gains greater than $1 million, an idea Senate Democrats discussed in December. This would bring in an additional $280 million for the budget, $560 million over four years. The Senate Ways and Means Committee will hold a hearing on several bills at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. This is a developing story
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
JumpStart seeks scholarship applications
JumpStart Johnson County volunteers are seeking applicants interested in scholarships covering the cost of dual credit classes at Hill College. Provided they meet the requirements for dual credit classes, the scholarships are available to all students attending Johnson County schools. That includes ISDs, private and home schools. The scholarships are on a first come, first serve basis. Interested students are encouraged to speak with their school counselor or to visit or call 817-944-4203 for information on how to apply. 'Right now we have about $25,000 in scholarship money available,' JumpStart volunteer Gary Dollgener said. 'That's enough to pay for 160 courses. 'As of now, we're offering one scholarship per student for one dual credit class. But, depending on what kind of interest we get, we may be able to offer more than one class per student.' Donations to the nonprofit provide funding for the scholarships. 'We're just trying to raise money for our kids to give them an opportunity to get an education,' Dollgener said. Through dual credit classes, high school students earn both high school and college credit. Taking such classes allows them to save money and get a head start on their college education. Some high school students are eligible for free dual credit courses but others are not. 'That's where JumpStart comes in,' Dollgener said. 'We want to fill the gap to make dual credit courses available to as many students as we can so they can get the benefit of a jump start toward earning college credits while they're still in high school.' Additional scholarship money will soon be available. JumpStart volunteers held their first fundraiser, Johnson County's Got Talent, in February. During that talent show event, students from eight county high schools with the top two winning two and one year respectively of paid tuition to Hill College. The remaining contestants each won one paid dual credit course. Donation totals from that event have yet to be finalized. 'That's what the kids who participated in Johnson County's Got Talent got,' Dollgener said. 'But we want the kids in all our high schools, private schools and home schools to know that they're welcome to apply for our scholarships.' JumpStart volunteer Guy James agreed and called the first edition of Johnson County's Got Talent a success. 'Everyone had a good time,' James said. 'Given the success of our first time doing this, I think this can easily become a repeatable event that people enjoy taking part in and look forward to coming to every year. Seeking talent Although the second edition of Johnson County's Got Talent sits a ways off — the next one it tentatively scheduled for next April at the Cleburne Conference Center — it's not too early for talented high school students to consider participating. So said JumpStart volunteers during a Thursday meeting. 'We had eight of the 10 high schools participate last February,' Dollgener said. 'Next year we hope to have all 10.' Dollgener and others urged representatives from several of the area ISDs attending Thursday's meeting to talk up both JumpStart and Johnson County's Got Talent to their students and fellow teachers and administrators to help increase interest in both programs. Dollgener noted, too, that all eight contestants in the February show sang. 'That was great,' Dollgener said. 'It went really well and everyone had a good time. But we want to get word out that, in addition to singing, students with other talents are encouraged to try out for a spot in the next show. And to try to get word out about this beyond just the fine art students to all the students about Johnson County's Got Talent and about applying for the JumpStart scholarships in general.' JumpStart began awarding scholarships in 2019 on the belief that students who launch their college careers early by taking dual credit courses represent a good investment in the future success of the community. Sentiments data appears to back up. Dual credit students have higher college enrollment rates after high school and are more likely to complete a four-year degree in less time than non dual credit students, according to JumpStart's website. Hill College reports that 82% of students who take dual credit courses continue on to higher education.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
12 King County mayors pushing back on proposals to hike taxes on large WA Businesses
A coalition of 12 King County mayors is pushing back on two state budget proposals that call for raising taxes on large businesses in Washington. Washington is currently facing a projected multibillion-dollar budget shortfall. They argue that these proposals could push businesses out of Washington, taking jobs away from the region. 'These companies have choices about where they can do their business,' said Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus. 'These taxes will make attracting jobs, great jobs much harder.' Supporters of the proposals argue the budget shortfall won't close itself, and push back on the idea that businesses will leave Washington because of tax changes. They argue the proposals are necessary to provide Washingtonians with the same level of services they rely on. The group opposing the measures is focused specifically on two: one that would implement a surcharge on large businesses through Washington's Business and Occupation tax, and one that would implement a payroll tax similar to Seattle's 'JumpStart' tax. That proposal, issued by Democrats in the state senate, proposes removing the cap on employer payroll taxes, placing a 5% tax on large employers 'on the amount of payroll expenses above the Social Security threshold — currently $176,100 per year.' Senate Democrats say this would be limited to companies with $7 million or more. The proposal is similar to the city of Seattle's 'JumpStart' tax and includes a full credit for businesses already paying that tax. Senate Democrats say it would raise about $2.3 billion per year and help fund public schools, health care, as well as other programs for residents. Critics say Seattle's 'JumpStart' tax has pushed businesses to find operating locations elsewhere, pointing to Amazon's move to relocate some of its employees to Bellevue. The other proposal, from Democrats in Washington's House, calls for a tax surcharge on businesses with taxable income over $250 million and increase to the surcharge on specified financial institutions with annual net income of $1 billion or more from 1.2% to 1.9%. House democrats say these surcharges will prevent harmful cuts to education, public safety and allow lawmakers to continue investing in critical public services. 'We're only going to be able to help both local governments, local school districts and communities pay for things that we know are important to Washington's safety and health and business climate, if we can pay the bills,' said Washington House Majority Leader Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon. Critics of these proposals include the mayors of Auburn, Bellevue, Black Diamond, Covington, Carnation, Enumclaw, Federal Way, Issaquah, Kirkland, Normandy Park, Redmond, and Renton. In a letter to several Washington lawmakers, they voiced concern that these policies could 'destabilize' Washington's economy and 'have detrimental effects on our region's economic competitiveness, job market and overall fiscal health.' 'We fear these proposals discourage the kind of growth that empowers our workforce and local economies,' said Renton Mayor Armando Pavone. Several spoke of their concern about a trickle-down effect if large corporations flee the state, noting in the letter that corporate jobs don't exist in a vacuum. 'The coffee shops in my community, the doctors, the dentists, the shops, the bakeries, all of those things rely on the tech industry,' said Redmond Mayor Angela Birney. Rep. Fitzgibbon pushed back on the idea that tech jobs would leave Washington if these proposals go through, noting that none of these proposals are in final form and that lawmakers are working with employers to find a solution that works for everyone. 'We are sensitive to making sure that we maintain a competitive business climate,' he said. KIRO 7 asked several of the mayors voicing opposition if they had any alternative suggestions to filling the budget gap. Auburn Mayor Nancy Backus did not offer any additional specific ideas. She said at this point, the coalition is focused on its opposition to this measure, but wants to work with the legislature to problem solve. You can read the full letter in opposition to these proposals here.
