Creating opportunities for successful careers in banking
BankWork$ opens doors
BankWork$® helps young adults from low-income communities build meaningful careers in banking, through a free, eight-week career training, placement assistance, and ongoing coaching.
We work in communities where we can have the greatest impact, where young adults lack access to employment opportunities, and where employers have positions to fill.
BankWork$ is a signature program of the Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation.
News
January 2022
CareerWork$® Selected As Talent Developer by OneTen, Coalition of Industry Leaders with Mission to Hire, Promote, and Advance One Million Black Individuals into Family-Sustaining Careers
CareerWork$® announced today that it has been selected as a Talent Developer by OneTen, a powerful coalition of industry leaders with the mission of hiring, promoting, and advancing one million Black individuals without four-year degrees into family-sustaining careers over the next 10 years. As a Talent Developer, CareerWork$ joins this effort in supporting Black individuals launching careers through our programs, and join a vibrant community of practice focused on scaling.
We’ve helped launch 3,600+ careers
BankWork$ started in Los Angeles in 2006 in partnership with JVS SoCal with one class, a few bank partners, and 10 graduates. Since then, our program has expanded to include more than 80 banks.
As of April 2021, BankWork$ operates in 13 markets—Atlanta, Bay Area, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Portland, Seattle, and the South Puget Sound.
We create alliances so employees and employers succeed
In collaboration with local workforce development partners, banks and financial institutions, we connect great hires with great careers, and ensure participants and employers thrive. 72 percent of BankWork$ graduates remain with their employer after 12 months.
Our comprehensive training provides the skills needed for any entry-level position in banking with career potential—including teller, customer service representative, relationship banker, and personal banker. It focuses on hard skills for on-the-job success in banking, and the soft skills needed to succeed as a professional anywhere.
Welcome to CareerWork$ Ready
Our free job readiness program provides community organizations with curricula to offer virtual or in-person training for job seekers in underserved communities.
Participants, employers, and communities thrive
These independently validated outcomes are the result of an analysis conducted by Kinetic West in April 2020.
“Being in a position to assist someone financially is everything to me. In my new role at the bank, I hope to teach others how to be financially successful.”
Our graduates succeed in meaningful ways
During his teenage years in Chicago, DaVonte was often without a home. Accepted but unable to afford college, he moved to Alaska and worked in retail while living in a shelter. In 2017, he returned to Chicago, became a father and enrolled in BankWork$. He was hired by Bank of America as a customer service representative right after graduation. Promoted to relationship banker after only a year, DaVonte looks forward to a lifetime career in the financial industry.
Our partners hire outstanding candidates
Our industry partners benefit by employing strong candidates who come from the communities they serve—helping to strengthen local relationships and fulfill organizational goals.
Funding Partners
Founding BankWork$ Partner
Founding BankWork$ Partner
Why we do this work
“It’s our mission to connect deserving individuals to career opportunities in industries that desperately need their ideas, skills, and dedication.”
Les Biller
Founding Trustee, The Sheri and Les Biller Family Foundation
Former COO, Wells Fargo
“By providing life-changing career opportunities for qualified candidates, BankWork$ helps us serve the financial needs of diverse communities across the country.”