100,000 Opportunities Initiative Exceeds Goal and Hires 100,000 Opportunity Youth in First Year

Employer-led coalition achieves goal two years ahead of schedule;
Aligns with rest of sector to help one million young people in the next
five years

SEATTLE–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative, the country’s largest employer-led
coalition committed to creating pathways to meaningful employment for
young people, today announced that it has met its goal of employing
100,000 Opportunity Youth, the population of 16-24 year olds who are out
of work and not in school, two years ahead of schedule. The coalition,
formed in July 2015, is now aligning with the cross-sector goal of
creating one million opportunities by 2021. The group will continue to
capture and share new recruiting and human resources practices tailored
to hiring, retaining and advancing the Opportunity Youth demographic.

“A first job is the way many young people start their path in
America. The creativity and commitment of the coalition to use our
collective scale and convening power have taught us all many lessons as
we reach an initial milestone to hire more than 100,000 Opportunity
Youth,” said Howard Schultz, chairman and ceo of Starbucks and
co-founder of the Schultz Family Foundation. “But, this is not a
victory lap; our work is far from complete. This is just the beginning
as we accelerate our efforts to build a network to reconnect one million
Opportunity Youth in the next five years. By continuing to expand our
coalition and leveraging the power of technology and hiring events, we
will invest in solutions that further support the young people of
America who are our future workers, customers and citizens.”

To date, more than 100,000 young people have found jobs with
participating companies and more than 3,000 on-the-spot job offers were
received at a series of employer-organized Opportunity Hiring Fairs in
Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles and Seattle. In partnership with community
leaders and elected officials, the innovative fairs help prepare young
people for employment by teaching them interview techniques,
resume-writing and advice regarding interview-appropriate clothing. The
coalition is also building and sharing best practice models to engage
young people in apprenticeships, internships, training programs and both
part-time and full-time jobs.

“By using our scale and strengths, Walmart and the Walmart Foundation
work to improve the lives of millions of people through creating
economic mobility,” said Kathleen McLaughlin, President of the
Walmart Foundation. “Through our Retail Opportunity initiative, we
are working to not only advance our own 1.2 million associates, but
elevate the entire retail sector. We are very pleased with the progress
made to date through the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative and excited to
continue working with other employers to hire, retain and build career
pathways for opportunity youth.”

“It is encouraging and exciting to see companies rethinking traditional
hiring practices in ways that benefit youth and provide business value
to employers,” said Judith Rodin, president of The Rockefeller
Foundation. “The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to support the
100,000 Opportunities Initiative, and we look forward to continuing to
work with these corporations committed to impact hiring. Together, we
can grow these efforts to attract and retain qualified young people in a
way that generates sustained impact, building a more inclusive economy
that works for everyone.”

The latest companies to join the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative
include Five Guys, Gene Juarez, Greyston Bakery, MOD Pizza, PCC Natural
Markets, Savers and Swiss Post Solutions. The initiative is generously
supported by the Alaska Airlines, Arizona Community Foundation, Bill and
Melinda Gates Foundation, California Endowment, Conrad N. Hilton
Foundation, Delaware North, Dominos, FedEx, Hilton, HMS Host, JPMorgan
Chase Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Macy’s, Medina Foundation,
Microsoft, My Brother’s Keeper Alliance, Nordstrom, Papa John’s, The
Prudential Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, Seattle Foundation,
Schultz Family Foundation, Starbucks, Starbucks Foundation, Taco Bell,
Target, T-Mobile, Walmart Foundation and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation.
This work is supported by grants and led by The Aspen Institute’s Forum
for Community Solutions and FSG.

“Improving life outcomes for Opportunity Youth is a moral imperative and
economic necessity, and we are thrilled to see the terrific response to
this national effort from employers, community leaders and the young
people themselves,” said Melody Barnes, chair of Aspen Institute’s
Forum for Community Solutions. “We must stay the course and
accelerate and deepen its efforts to provide opportunities to a million
young people in the United States over the next five years so that we
can make meaningful progress for this population.”

The Aspen Institute’s Forum for Community Solutions has served as an
important intermediary for the initiative, leveraging its national
Opportunity Youth Incentive Fund, which supports collaborative efforts
focused on Opportunity Youth in 23 communities around the country. The
Aspen Institute provides direct funding, leadership, technical
assistance, and programmatic support to the 100,000 Opportunities
Initiative in Chicago, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Seattle and future cities.

Companies and other organizations interested in joining or learning more
about the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative can email members@100kopportunities.org.

About the 100,000 Opportunities Initiative

The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative is the nation’s largest
employer-led coalition of private sector companies committed to
supporting “opportunity youth” as they prepare for and secure
employment. Opportunity Youth are the 5.5 million 16-24 year olds in the
United States who are out of school and not employed. The 100,000
Opportunities Initiative members believe this population is an untapped
pool of talent for employers in the country.

The 100,000 Opportunities Initiative has grown to nearly 50 leading U.S.
companies including Accenture, Alaska Airlines, Chipotle Mexican Grill,
Cintas, CVS Health, Delaware North, Dominos, Evolution Fresh, FedEx,
Five Guys, Gene Juarez, Greyston Bakery, Hilton Worldwide, HMSHost,
Hyatt, JCPenney, JPMorgan Chase, Leisure Care, Lyft, Macy’s, Mars, MOD
Pizza, Microsoft, Nordstrom, Panda Express, Papa John’s, PCC Natural
Markets, Pizza Hut, Porch.com, Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Prudential
Financial, Red Robin, Republic Services, Savers, Services Group of
America, Sprinkles, Starbucks, Sweetgreen, Swiss Post Solutions, Taco
Bell, Target, Teavana, T-Mobile, TOMS, Ulta Beauty, VILLA, Walgreens and
Walmart.

For more information on the funding organizations, employers and
learning partners involved, please visit http://www.100kOpportunities.org.

Contacts

For 100,000 Opportunities Initiative:
206-318-0822
Media@100kopportunities.org