The program will be approximately ten weeks in duration, including classroom education at Parsons followed by an internship program working in a retail store of one of the LVMH Group brands. The classroom sessions will be led by Parsons professors, as well as LVMH managers and training professionals. Topics covered in the classes will range from fashion history and understanding consumer trends to retail operations, communications and teamwork skills.

Through the CPC, recruitment of students to participate in the first session is beginning immediately in the Chinese-American community. Application to the program is open to English and Mandarin-speaking members of the community, who are currently low wage workers, under- or unemployed with a high school diploma or its equivalent and are passionate about fashion and retail. The first session will begin in March 2014, and two additional sessions are planned later in 2014.

Chantal Gaemperle, Group EVP, Human Resources and Synergies at LVMH, which conceived the concept for the education and training program, said, “We are thrilled to partner with the CPC and Parsons, with support from Robin Hood, to launch a unique training program for Chinese-Americans: our aim is to help job-seekers seize opportunities in the luxury retail business.

"The program’s combined classroom and in-store training will develop talent with Mandarin-language skills, allowing the graduates to acquire the necessary basics as well as the confidence for a successful career within our demanding sector. This project also addresses a specific need among luxury retail stores to best serve their Chinese-speaking customers while boosting career advancement opportunities for the community in New York City.”

David Chen, Executive Director of the CPC, said, “With close to five decades of experience in connecting new immigrants to new challenges and opportunities, CPC is confident that this joint effort by LVMH and Parsons will bring unprecedented results in creating new career paths for the many untapped talents in the Chinese-American community.”