Committed to Sustainable diversity and inclusion
i ntel has long been an advocate for diversity and inclusion (d&i) as a core business practice, but its $300 million five-year commitment announced in 2015 is unique. the focus extends beyond the company to include all of intel’s current business partners and organizations preparing the people and services intel will need in the future. “our senior leadership supports our diversity and inclusion initiatives in word and action,” says Barbara Whye, intel’s Human resources vice President and chief diversity and inclusion officer.
Building Workforce diversity and inclusion
the goal of intel’s 2020 commitment is to reach full market representation of women and underrepresented minorities in its u.s. workforce. “We have already narrowed the gap by 84%, and we will reach our goal by the end of this year, two years ahead of schedule,” reports Whye.
Overcoming Hurdles to Success
the critical component of mature d&i strategy work is retention. intel’s initiatives address that hurdle through its high-touch and personalized Warmline service. employees make contact confidentially. Hr and d&i staff then work discreetly to identify roadblocks and remove them. since 2015, the Warmline has received over 10,000 requests, and close to 90% of employees who made requests decided to remain at intel. “our focus is on building and sustaining a work environment where everyone has the opportunity to achieve their full potential,” explains Whye.
developing a diverse Pipeline
intel knows its future requires an evergrowing pool of women and students of color with technology degrees. as a result, the $300 million commitment includes more than $20 million for scholarships, the development and delivery of culturally sensitive curricula and training to encourage women and students of color to pursue technology degrees. a 3-year-old partnership with two
Oakland unified School district high schools to develop and improve computer science and engineering courses is registering impressive results. Programs include work-based learning, mentoring and internships, education and awareness for parents, and professional development support for teachers.
at mcclymonds High school, for example, intel helped launch a new engineering pathway program for students, encouraging them to pursue future education in science, technology, engineering and math (stem) fields. the collaboration reached a major milestone this year with 31 out of 62 graduating seniors completing the engineering pathway program and attending college.
the intel HBCu Grant Program partners with six HBcus (historically black colleges and universities — Howard, morgan state, Prairie view, tuskegee, north carolina a&t and florida a&m) to support developing their stem curricula with scholarships, student experiences and intel-hosted workshops. technology Pathways initiative partners intel with three silicon valley universities — san francisco state, san Jose state and uc Berkeley — to design a new degree program that integrates computing education with other major fields of study popular with women. intel scholarships are awarded to students through a number of organizations, i.e., the american indian science and engineering society, Georgia tech, Gem and Hispanic foundation silicon valley. intel is also implementing a comprehensive SteM
educational transformation in two navajo nation high schools.
Spending and development through Supplier diversity
intel is on track to spend $1 billion annually on suppliers owned by women and people of color by 2020. to ensure the pool of successful diverse suppliers continues growing, the intel
Capital diversity initiative committed to invest $125 million in women- and minority-owned startups. that goal was surpassed in just three years.
“intel’s diversity and inclusion goals are intel’s business goals,” continues Whye. “We want to shape the future of technology, but in order to do that we must be representative of that future.”