Biggest Leaders in Tech Come Together in NYC to Address the Concern Over Diversity Hiring

NEW YORK, October 22, 2018 (Newswire.com) - The biggest leaders in tech are coming together in New York for an annual fundraising gala to address their concern over a lack of women and minorities in tech.

The nonprofit tech skills training program, NPower, is organizing the gala that will honor IBM and Citi for their work, contribution and dedication to bringing more ethnic and gender diversity to high tech industries.

Today, this includes our strong partnership with NPower to develop the highly skilled workers tech companies need to fill 'new collar' jobs that don't necessarily require a four-year college degree.

Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President and CEO of IBM

NPower will specifically be honoring Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President and CEO of IBM, and Don Callahan, the Head of Operations & Technology for Citi, for their leadership in promoting diversity in technology, advocating for more women, minorities and nontraditional talent.

IBM is one of the newest partners of NPower, helping advance the tech curriculum in cities with large veteran populations. Since becoming Chairman, President and CEO of IBM, Rometty has placed a special emphasis on hiring nontraditional workers who often offer the right skills but lack a formal college degree.

“IBM is honored to be recognized by NPower for our leadership in promoting diversity and inclusion in the technology industry,” said Rometty. “IBM has a long and proud history of advancing career opportunities for under-served populations. Today, this includes our strong partnership with NPower to develop the highly skilled workers tech companies need to fill ‘new collar’ jobs that don't necessarily require a four-year college degree.”

Citi has been a long-standing partner of NPower. Since 2011, Citi has hosted more than 230 interns with hands-on training and has hired more than 50 NPower alumni in New York, New Jersey and Texas.

The Head of Operations & Technology for Citi, Don Callahan, said his organization has been a longtime supporter of NPower, seeing the benefits from their partnership first-hand.

“Citi believes this partnership with NPower will help bridge the gender and diversity gap in the tech workforce, and provide underserved communities access to the tools needed to succeed in this new digital economy,” said Callahan.

Other companies that are also showing support include: Dell Technologies, Accenture, CA Technologies, Cisco, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, HMG Strategy, JPMorgan Chase, NetApp, SHI International Corp, Splunk and World Wide Technology.

The Future of Careers in Technology

The Department of Labor projects there will be 6 million jobs that require tech skills by 2020 from only a pool of 3.2 million qualified workers.

A report from the US Equal Opportunity Employment Commission says the high tech sector has become a powerful source for economic growth with employment in computer science and engineering growing at twice the rate of the national average. However, it adds a lack of participation by minorities and women is hurting the industry.

Compared to the private sector, the EEOC found the high tech sector employs a larger share of whites (68.5 percent vs 63.5 percent for private sector), Asian Americans (14 percent compared vs 5.8 percent for private sector) and men (64 percent vs 52 percent for private sector). The tech sector also has a smaller share of African Americans (7.4 percent vs 14.4 percent for private sector), Hispanics (8 percent vs 13.9 percent for private sector), and women (36 percent vs 48 percent for private sector).

“Tech companies, startups and our local economies will all benefit from this initiative with new qualified talent from an untapped market,” said Ceccarelli. “Together, our NPower partners have helped launch a national dialogue around the barriers women must overcome to succeed with careers in technology, educating both leaders in tech and women of color.”

This year’s gala, hosted by Sheinelle Jones, Anchor at NBC News, will take place at 583 Park Avenue in New York City on Oct. 24, 2018.

About NPower
The national nonprofit, NPower, offers technology skills training programs to military veterans and active members, women, minorities and young adults from underserved communities. NPower envisions a future where our domestic technology workforce is diverse, and clear pathways exist for all people regardless of ethnicity, gender or socioeconomic background to succeed in our digital economy. The specific coursework focuses on basic tech competencies needed for entry-level IT employment, providing students with tech training, mentoring business leaders, paid internships, career development workshops at leading corporations, industry-recognized certifications, job placement services and access to a robust alumni network. More than 80 percent of NPower alumni are employed or pursue higher education within one year of graduation. To learn more about the NPower gala, visit www.npower.org/gala.

Source: NPower