Around the world, we face an opportunity divide. In the United States alone, there are nearly 6 million young adults between the ages of 16-24 who are out of work, out of school and without access to education and career opportunities.

Defined as Opportunity Youth, these young adults—often from under-resourced and low-income communities—lack access to education and careers that provide them with a living wage. At the same time, while the U.S. Department of Commerce recently reported that the number of jobs involving science, technology, engineering or math (STEM) expertise has tripled in the past decade, many of these jobs go unfilled due to a lack of qualified applicants.

The Salesforce.com Foundation aims to help bridge that gap. We’re excited to announce today at the Clinton Global Initiative our three-year, $6 million CGI Commitment to Action to scaling our youth mentoring and internship programs by expanding existing partnerships and educating other businesses on the benefits of youth engagement. While our initial investment is focused on the United States, we plan to take what we learn and scale it worldwide.

Through our partnership with Year Up and Genesys Works, we’ll support the creation of 400 new internships and 150 post-internship placements for Opportunity Youth at salesforce.com and other technology companies. We’ll triple the number of high school students we touch through our BizAcademy program in the United States and abroad. We’ll also focus on getting girls excited about coding through basic computer science and coding workshops. And just as our partners are instrumental in delivering our best-in-class technology, we’ll be working with partners to join us in this commitment to expanding opportunities for the next generation.

This is just a first step for us as we continue to leverage our 1-1-1 model to drive impact in youth education and employment. Keep an eye on this space as we update you on our efforts!

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