2022 Impact Report
Letter From The CEO
At Road to Hire, we believe that everyone should have equal access to high-earning careers.
I know we will look back on 2022 as a crucial inflection point in the fight for economic justice. The communities we serve have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and we have seen firsthand the exacerbated achievement gaps in education and the rise of mental health struggles. Rather than slowing down in the face of these challenges, Road to Hire is more committed than ever to racial and economic justice.
2022 marked a year of significant growth for Road to Hire, and I am extremely proud of the impact our team has had on the students we have supported. Click here for the full report that encapsulates some of Road to Hire’s 2022 highlights.
Road to Hire Programs
R2H Tech Apprenticeships
Young adults learn business analytics, coding or cybersecurity skills in an intense, paid, full-time, 24-week training that emphasizes professionalism and life skills. The apprenticeship culminates in transitions to high-earning tech careers with premier R2H employer partners.
Click below to see some of the 2022 highlights.
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In addition to coding and cybersecurity tech tracks, R2H now offers a third apprenticeship track: business analytics. R2H’s first business analytics cohort included 20 individuals, with a second cohort starting in February 2023.
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Apprentices shifted to a weekly three-day in-person and two-day virtual model in August 2022. This aligns with R2H employer partner models and will cultivate the best learning environment for their future jobs.
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After two years of virtual celebrations, R2H employer partners, mentors and team members came together following each cohort’s six-month training to commemorate apprentices in the next step of their tech careers.
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R2H leveraged partner relationships in new ways. Employer partners from across Charlotte taught professional development curriculum, consulted on “Hope Hacks” projects, judged apprentice elevator pitches and attended apprentices’ capstone presentations.
R2H High School
Students at Charlotte’s Title I, low-income high schools take Road to Hire classes for credit, learn technical and life skills and earn paths to debt-free college and high-earning careers.
Click below to see some of the 2022 highlights.
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Students learned, triumphed and celebrated together through Virtual Signing Days, which recognized their selected post-graduate career paths. And R2H’s first-ever Graduation Block Party ended the school year in style.
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212 Cohort 2 seniors earned the Road to Hire Pathways Promise, a college scholarship through the R2H College program. This represents a 72% growth over 2021.
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Inside the classroom, R2H strengthened career, professional development and tech curriculum. Using data-driven learning and development initiatives, we implemented new metrics and experiential learning to best support students for success in their futures post-high school.
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R2H partnered with Communities in Schools (CIS) to best support students across organizations. Communities in Schools focuses on connecting students in schools to necessary resources in their communities. Through this partnership, CIS and R2H are working together to meet students' needs and help them overcome barriers to academic, personal and professional goals.
R2H College
Students from R2H Scholars and Golden Door Scholars flourish through financial support, mentorship and robust career-prep programming throughout their college years.
Click below to see some of the 2022 highlights.
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R2H scholarships and matching grants from partner universities ensure that fewer than 5% of our students have student loans, compared with 82% of their peers at colleges.
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Road to Hire Student Career Coaches meet with scholars weekly, holding them accountable, making sure they have the resources they need to succeed and actively helping them problem-solve. Above all else, Student Career Coaches provide a crucial stream of support for scholars during one of the most challenging and transformational experiences of their young-adult lives.
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Scholars visited several R2H partner companies, including Atrium, Equitable, Lowe's, Red Ventures, CapTech and Truist. They left those visits feeling a new sense of belonging in corporate spaces and excited to apply to internships at those companies.
Scholars also honed new skills through Financial Literacy Workshops held by Common Wealth Charlotte and participated in career panels, Bank of America Cybersecurity Workshops and more.
R2H topped 2022 off with 42 campus visits across North Carolina, where students cultivated relationships and built professional skills. -
R2H revamped College Thrive – a virtual summer experience for rising college freshmen to prepare them for their college transition. Thanks to invaluable student and partner feedback, the program is now stronger than ever before.
Golden Door Scholars
Golden Door Scholars (GDS) supports DACA and undocumented students with four-year college scholarships and paths to high-earning, sustainable careers upon graduation. GDS is a community of over 300 alumni and 250 active scholars who engage in mentorship, career coaching and summer programming.
Click below to see some of the 2022 highlights.
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Golden Door Scholars had a record number of job placements and internships; 96% of Golden Door Scholars students secured full-time job or graduate school opportunities.
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R2H welcomed over 250 scholars to the Golden Door Summit over the summer, our first since 2019. Held at partner school Queens University of Charlotte, Golden Door Scholars and alumni attended developmental sessions, enjoyed engaging guest speakers and bonded. Gathering this many students who share similar challenges creates a powerful and crucial sense of belonging and confidence.
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Bard College and Case Western University joined the GDS network of 20 partner schools and helped us better serve students throughout the country.
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100% of Golden Door scholars enroll at universities where they pursue a degree and graduate without crippling debt.
R2H Tech Alumni
Road to Hire bolsters R2H alumni professional experiences with community-building programming, networking opportunities and continued career support.
Click below to see some of the 2022 highlights.
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Intentional wrap-around programming was built for R2H alumni as they navigated their first year in the tech industry. This year, R2H created a “Year 1 Road Map” to support our first-year alumni in a smooth transition into their new corporate workspaces. The support extended to alumni includes monthly challenges, one-on-one check-ins with R2H Alumni staff, events and veteran alumni support.
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R2H hosted programming for all alumni to benefit and grow from, regardless of their tenure. This included Lunch and Learns with industry professionals, creative alumni community-building activities and career milestone celebrations.
Road to Hire Partners
EMPLOYER PARTNERS AND INVESTORS
Partners immerse themselves into the R2H community as guest speakers and volunteers while moving the needle forward in diversifying corporate workspaces by hiring R2H apprentices, interns and college graduates. In 2022, R2H partners expanded their hiring number to 334, doubling down on their commitment to young adults of color.
EDUCATION, UNIVERSITY AND COLLEGE PARTNERS
College and university partnerships support R2H students by matching R2H scholarships to ensure scholars graduate without crippling debt. We are thankful for their commitment to our community.
Road to Hire Team
The Road to Hire team grew substantially in 2022, enabling more individualized student support, differentiated learning experiences and strategic program advancement capacity.
Diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging is paramount not only in Road to Hire’s student work, but also in our team culture. This year R2H also took steps to advance our learnings around racial equity and belonging for all identify groups. For example, Road to Hire participated in racial equity training through the Racial Equity Institute to further educate our staff on how to best support our students and each other.
Road to Hire exists to help diversify corporate workforces and lives by the mantra of being the change we want to see in the world. Our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging go beyond the classrooms – our team is proud to represent diverse identity groups.
Vision for 2023
R2H believes that every young person should have the opportunity to succeed, regardless of their background or circumstances. We reaffirm our commitment to creating a world where leadership meetings, board rooms and graduation stages reflect the diversity of our neighborhoods and communities.
As R2H moves into 2023, increasing our momentum depends on continued investment, partnerships, hiring and commitment to equity and belonging. The future is now, and we are the ones who will determine if young people in our community prosper, not in spite of where they’re from but because of it. Read more of the 2023 vision in the full report here.
Ric Elias
Chief Executive Officer
Red Ventures
Road to Hire Founder
“When more young people reach their full potential, our communities become stronger. When more schools, cities, and companies come together to focus on providing pathways to high-paying jobs for disconnected youth in our community - then historically marginalized groups gain access to more meaningful support and hope for the future. The work of Road to Hire creates real, transformational change - not only in the lives of students, but ultimately for the world we want our children and our grandchildren to live in. This is the most important work we can do.”