Verizon Launches Women’s CoLab to Help Women Achieve Career Goals

Verizon marked International Day of the Girl on Monday, Oct. 11, by launching Women’s CoLab. The initiative provides women with essential resources to help them achieve success in an increasingly digital economy.

A number of Fortune 500 companies signed up to be Women’s CoLab founding partners. They include Accenture, A Effect, Degreed, Ferrero, Harvard Business, Mastercard, Scary Mommy, The Achieve Institute,The EstéeLauder Companies,The Female Quotient, U.N. Foundation, Walmart, Watermark and more.

Women have made tremendous strides in their ongoing efforts to achieve gender equality and equity in the workplace. Still, approximately 5.4 million women lost jobs during 2020 amid COVID-19. Women’s CoLab was launched to help women reenter the workforce and realize their career ambitions.

Verizon Business’ Tami Erwin

“In recent years, we have celebrated many history-making firsts that prove women belong in every room, at every table and deserve to be seen and heard as equals,” said Tami Erwin, CEO of Verizon Business. “Unfortunately, the momentum we have achieved as a society has all but come to a standstill in the wake of the pandemic.”

“With Women’s CoLab, we are committed to giving women the support and resources they need to reach their career aspirations and thrive professionally.”

Insights and Advice

The Women’s CoLab community launch on Monday featured top women executives from founding partner companies. During panels and sessions, they shared lessons learned and career insights that helped them achieve success. The three-hour event can be viewed at no cost on the Women’s CoLab YouTube channel.

Beyond the expert insights and advice offered during the launch event, a library of resources and peer-to-peer support is available free of charge to any user. It can be accessed through the Women’s CoLab website. Powered by founding member Degreed, the site provides hyper-relevant development and training resources from industry experts such as Harvard Business, The Achieve Institute, The Female Quotient, A Effect and Blue Circle Leadership and Scary Mommy.

Additional content such as guest essays, live Q&As, workshops and career insights from leading women will be added regularly to cover the most pressing issues impacting women today.

Women’s CoLab also focuses on building a community of women, with interactive forums that allow for open conversation and support between members and participants. Curated content topics include personal brand building, networking tips and tricks, work-life wellness, how to redefine your career and content specific for working mothers.

“Helping Women Advance and Succeed”

Verizon Consumer’s Manon Brouilette

“We need women in the workforce, said Manon Brouillette, COO and deputy CEO of Verizon Consumer. “We need their diverse perspectives and backgrounds, at all levels and across all industries. We can’t pursue real, lasting equality if we ask women to choose between having a career or managing their life.”

“A recent survey we commissioned found that close to 60% of women who want to reenter the workforce can’t afford the training to remain competitive. This is exacerbated by the fact that 72% of women are concerned about the difficulty of finding a job that matches their existing skill set.”

“This is precisely the reason why I believe Women’s CoLab can play an important role in helping women advance and succeed.”

Verizon Business Group’s Sarah Marsh

Sarah Marsh, director of channel enablement and strategy for Verizon Business Group, is a member of the inaugural Channel Futures DE&I 101 and serves on Channel Futures’ DE&I Advisory Board. “We’re at a critical moment in time with so many women leaving the workforce,” she told Channel Futures. “So I can’t wait to see how the Women’s CoLab will help empower women to thrive.”

“In addition to providing access to world-class resources, it’s also a community for women to lift each other up in support of their ambitions and unique career journeys. And that’s regardless of whether that journey includes starting a new business, reentering the workforce, reaching for the next level or building a family and a career.”