Global Talent Receives $20,000 Grant from JPMorgan Chase

Every year, refugees and immigrants relocate to Idaho with valuable educational and career experiences. Transferring those skills and credentials to a new country comes with barriers, however, sometimes causing professionals to leave behind careers they love.

Global Talent, a nonprofit program of the Idaho Office for Refugees, formed 10 years ago to help prevent this brain waste from happening. The program assists New Americans with continuing in their careers, growing Idaho’s workforce of skilled professionals.

Starting this year, Global Talent is increasing its support for employers, too, offering cultural education and guidance.
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Global Talent is proud to announce a $20,000 infusion into this work from JPMorgan Chase. The one-year grant, starting in April 2024, is supporting Global Talent’s work not only with job seekers, but with Idaho employers who are hiring professionals from refugee and immigrant backgrounds.

​“We had success in people being able to return to their careers, but then we found that sometimes they would come back to us and say there were challenges with transitioning to different cultural norms and expectations in the workplace,” Global Talent Project Manager Hannah Roche said. “We found a need with the employers to provide comprehensive support of someone in their new role.”
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In the past year, 25 Global Talent job seekers from 10 countries have been hired back into their fields in the U.S., increasing their salaries by over $40,000 on average. Their fields include education, engineering, business administration, and health care.

“We believe a prosperous and inclusive job market is the foundation of a strong economy,” said Paul Silva, JPMorgan Chase Market Director for Idaho. “By awarding this grant to support Global Talent, we hope to strengthen employment opportunities for the refugee community in Idaho. Supporting this initiative will not only help to advance inclusive economic growth but will help build a more resilient financial system in the Boise community.”

LOCAL PERSPECTIVES

Saint Alphsonsus Health System, one of Idaho’s largest employers, has seen the benefit of Global Talent’s support on both the employer and the employee side.

“Global Talent has provided support that is difficult for an employer to do alone,” said Mandy Adamson, Saint Alphonsus Workforce Development Programs Partner. “They’ve helped us know how to better welcome New Americans into our organization and have helped our colleagues navigate credentialing their international degrees.”

Iris Almejo Rodriguez, an environmental technician at Saint Alphonsus, is working with Global Talent to get back to her career in nursing, which she practiced in Mexico.

"My goal is to be able to practice my career in this country, and having Global Talent's support makes achieving it easier and in less time than I thought would be possible," she said. "I feel ‎happy and grateful to every one of the people who collaborate with Global Talent.‎"

If you are a job seeker or employer who would like to work with Global Talent, please visit glotalent.org.