Citizens Financial Group (NYSE: CFG) is teaming up with Black Girls CODE to introduce more young women in Charlotte to technology skills.
Rhode Island-based Citizens is supporting Black Girls CODE's plans to set up virtual groups to teach coding and other skills to young women of color. The project is targeting four cities — Charlotte, Boston, Phoenix and Providence, Rhode Island.
Each program, lasting for six weeks, will have 25 participants ages 14 to 17. Sessions are offered twice a week for one hour. Participants will also gain access to internship and networking opportunities.
Lamont Young, head of digital banking at Citizens, said the team selected Charlotte as one of the cities because it is a talent acquisition and technology hub for the bank. It employs more than 140 people here.
"It just felt like the right thing for us to do," Young said. "It was really important for us to make sure that we were (serving) communities where the bank actually has strong positioning."
This partnership is part of a larger $10 million commitment the bank announced last year for social equity and economic mobility in underserved areas. That commitment focuses on minority-owned small businesses, issues of racial disparity and access to technology, education and digital literacy.
The bank also committed to more than $500 million in financing and capital for small businesses, housing and other development projects.
Young said Citizens wants to invest in the next generation of talent as the bank is connected to its communities. He said businesses drive better results when they have more diverse talent — diversity of background, thought and experiences.
"Socio-economic barriers (shouldn't) stand in the way of accessibility to STEM education. The creation of our new virtual CODE clubs, with the support of Citizens, will ensure that there is a level playing field for all. We're proud to partner with a company that is taking actionable steps towards changing the narrative surrounding the lack of diversity in tech," Black Girls CODE said in a statement to the Charlotte Business Journal.
A Black Girls CODE representative was not available for an interview this week.
Black Girls CODE has 15 chapters in the U.S. and another in South Africa. It has served more than 20,000 students. The organization's goal is to teach 1 million girls how to code by 2040.
Citizens had more than $183 billion in total assets as of Dec. 31, 2020. Its footprint stretches across 11 states. The bank's local deposits totaled $24.2 million as of last summer, according to the latest data.
