Benzinga | May 24, 2021 12:37PM EDT

Lazard, New Visions For Public Schools Launch Lazard New Visions Academy

Lazard Ltd (NYSE:LAZ) and New Visions for Public Schools announced today the launch of the Lazard New Visions Academy, a signature initiative funded by the Lazard Foundation that provides New York City public high school students access to post-secondary readiness opportunities and social capital through a five-week summer institute and ongoing career development support.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210524005673/en/

In partnership with New Visions for Public Schools, the two-year pilot of the Academy (2021-2022) will serve 600 rising 11th and 12th graders, who are enrolled in public high schools that are part of the New Visions network. The program's objective is to offer the participating students exposure to the financial services sector through Lazard and its employees and to develop career-readiness skills that will support their future success in a broad range of careers.

"Historically, high schools have focused on preparing students primarily for graduation and college. We believe it is just as critical to provide high school students chances to explore their career interests," said Mark Dunetz, President of New Visions. "The Lazard New Visions Academy introduces New York City high school students to the world of careers in finance, one of our City's key industries but one which is currently inaccessible to most public high school students."

"The Lazard New Visions Academy reflects Lazard's commitment to creating opportunities and building social capital for students from under-resourced communities," said Kenneth Jacobs, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lazard. "The Academy's model is a replicable and scalable model for private sector partnerships with public schools, and we hope it will inspire other companies to launch similar programs."