CHICAGO, June 7, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Discovery en Espanol today announced a collaboration with AT&T Chicago on "DESCUBRE TU TALENTO" (Discover Your Skills), a multimedia public affairs campaign designed to raise awareness of career opportunities within the U.S. Hispanic community and provide the necessary resources to obtain marketable job skills and expertise. In a speech to students at the Paul Simon Chicago Jobs Corps Center, U.S. Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis expressed her support for "DESCUBRE TU TALENTO" and its goals.
"The Department of Labor was proud to collaborate with Discovery last year in providing access to easy-to-use career information through the 'Discover Your Skills' initiative, and I'm excited Discovery en Espanol has chosen to focus additional efforts within the Hispanic community. As the fastest growing ethnic group in the country Hispanic's progress in this recovery is critical to the nation as a whole," said Solis. "In addition, we know that all of our training programs - especially Job Corps - work best when they are woven into the fabric of the local business community, so I am thrilled to see AT&T stepping up to get involved with Job Corps here in Chicago."
"Discover your Skills" is a campaign launched in May of 2011 by Discovery Communications that addresses the growing gap between the needs of employers and the skills of America's workforce. It has leveraged Discovery's resources to highlight career opportunities in skilled trades, and expressed the importance of training workers to fill critical jobs in manufacturing, health care, energy, technology, construction and other industries.
Discovery en Espanol's "DESCUBRE TU TALENTO" is a customized version of this corporate initiative specifically targeting U.S. Hispanics. The program will provide Spanish-speakers with tips about workforce preparation, including resume writing and interview basics, and consolidate useful links to resources that provide access to education and training, including job search engines and research on a wide variety of career paths. Discovery en Espanol will make this invaluable information available on-air featuring network personalities who will issue a call to action and encourage Hispanics to learn about career opportunities online at a fully dedicated Spanish website www.tudiscovery.com/descubretutalento, through social media via www.facebook.com/discoveryenespanol and by rolling out grassroots initiative throughout the country.
"There are thousands of jobs just waiting to be filled by people with the right skills," said Bilai Joa Silar, Vice President and Channel Director, Discovery en Espanol. "Discovery en Espanol viewers are already part of a unique segment of the population that has a great motivation to learn and is looking for ways to increase their capabilities and knowledge that lead to success. They want more out of life, and we are honored to have the opportunity to acknowledge their potential by providing them with the resources that can help them to pursue their goals."
AT&T is committed to providing career opportunities to Hispanics, veterans, and other designated groups of qualified applicants. As part of the "DESCUBRE TU TALENTO" outreach in Chicago, AT&T will assist Discovery en Espanol in the following ways:
-- Volunteers with AT&T's Hispanic employee resource group, HACEMOS will mentor applicants at the Chicago Job Corps site on a monthly basis. -- Volunteers with the AT&T Career4Vets job search program and AT&T Veterans Employee Resource Group will mentor and advise veterans seeking career opportunities with AT&T. -- AT&T will encourage other employees to volunteer in the community through an internal volunteerism portal which matches employees with appropriate opportunities. -- AT&T Pioneers will enlist their volunteers to mentor and assist applicants.
