IBM forges Hispanic alliance
- By Dibya Sarkar
- Apr 17, 2001
Closing the Digital Divide home page
To better prepare Hispanic higher education students for technology careers,
IBM Corp. and the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities recently
announced an alliance providing long-term support for education, internship
and mentoring initiatives.
IBM officials expect the alliance to also help them recruit Hispanic
workers. The company reports that it has doubled the number of Hispanic
people it has hired in the past three years. This year, the company expects
to hire about 20,000 new employees in the United States.
IBM will provide discounts on its products to students, faculty and
HACU member schools.
The alliance includes:
* An e-Mentoring program in which a student can choose an IBM employee
as a mentor to provide online advice and to be an expert in the student's
field of study.
* An e-Business curriculum development package of objectives, learning
tools, measurements and best practices at select campuses.
* Summer internship programs for top students and select HACU faculty
members.
* On-site IBM workshops on topics such as youth leadership and choosing
an information technology career.
* An IBM representative on HACU's corporate philanthropic council to
serve as an adviser on business issues.
The programs are designed to help narrow the digital divide for Hispanics
in higher education as well as provide role models for younger Hispanics.
According to HACU, about 28 percent of Hispanic high school graduates ages
18 to 21 were enrolled in college in 1997 vs. 46 percent of whites. For
Hispanic students 25 years and older, 11 percent had completed a college
education by 1998, compared with 25 percent of whites.
Internet use among Hispanics ages 9 to 25 is also lowest, compared with
usage among whites, African Americans and Asian Americans, according to
federal statistics. And, 23.6 percent of Hispanic households — similar to
the percentage for African American households — have Internet access, far
below the 41.5 percent national average.
HACU (www.hacu.net) is a nonprofit association
that represents the interests of more than 270 colleges and universities
that serve more than two-thirds of all Hispanic students.