IBM Launches Program To Attract More Hispanics Into Technology JobsIBM Launches Program To Attract More Hispanics Into Technology Jobs

In the years to come, Hispanics are projected to represent a quarter of the U.S. population. And with a shortage of technology professionals predicted within the decade, IBM is on a mission to attract more Hispanics into tech careers.

According to U.S. government statistics, the Hispanic segment of the population is predicted to grow to 25% of the U.S. population by 2050. But in the meantime, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics expects job growth in scientific, technology, engineering, and math -- or STEM -- fields to grow 22% from 2004 to 2014, bringing with it a need for 1.75 million STEM professionals in the United States by 2010, as baby boomers begin to retire.

Currently, about 5% of the U.S. population is working in STEM-related jobs, but only 2% of U.S. Hispanics work in those occupations, said IBM VP of strategy Adalio Sánchez in an interview with information.

So, with an eye on filling STEM positions at IBM in the years to come, the computer maker is launching initiatives to attract more Hispanics into those fields. This week, IBM hosted a summit in New York with leaders from several other large companies, including Lockheed Martin, Univision, and ExxonMobile, to discuss how to draw more Hispanics into STEM careers. Among the conclusions from the discussions are that the barriers for Hispanics to enter STEM professions start early and can be helped with collaborative effort, said Sánchez.

"Schools, corporations, nonprofits, government play a role" in helping to prepare more Hispanics for careers in STEM fields, said Sánchez.

Still, a goal by IBM and the other corporations involved with the summit is harnessing and sharing the best ideas for Hispanic outreach programs related to STEM. "Many of us are trying to reinvent the wheel, and we need to stop reinventing the wheel and share best practices," he said.

For its part, IBM's efforts include programs to spark and nurture an interest in STEM-related disciplines among school-age Hispanics. But that also includes helping with a very basic challenge many young Hispanics face -- language barriers. For many Hispanic children in the United States, "English is spoken at school, but not at home," said Sánchez, who emigrated from Cuba to the United States when he was 2 years old and learned English in first grade.

To help address issues that arise in school when parents can't communicate with English-speaking teachers, IBM is making available free to all U.S. schools Traducelo Ahora, its e-mail translation software that provides automatic two-way, English-Spanish translation.

Also, IBM is also hoping to ignite an interest in computers among the very young by donating 1,000 KidSmart PCs to early childhood centers in Hispanic communities in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, Miami, and New York. The KidSmart units assist in teaching literacy and math skills to kids in pre-school to third grade.

And while IBM's campaign to attract more Hispanics to STEM occupations includes initiatives aimed at young children, the company is also targeting problems faced by older students.

"Calculus in not being taught" in many community colleges Hispanics attend, Sánchez said. Meanwhile, "70% of math and science teachers aren't certified in math and science" in the United States, which can impact how well students do in those studies, he said.

To help tackle those issues, IBM is expanding its MentorPlace program to have more IBM employees providing online mentoring to students in U.S. school districts that have a large population of Hispanics.

Aside from that, IBM is also trying to help alleviate the nationwide shortage of qualified math and science teachers that all U.S. students face. For several years, IBM has run a program that encourages its own employees to switch career gears and become math and science teachers. IBM pays employees' tuition in making the transition.

While IBM's newest efforts are aimed at getting more Hispanics into STEM careers, IBM for the last several years also has been ramping up efforts to attract other segments of the U.S. population into technology professions to counter the predicted impending tech-skill shortage.

For instance, IBM last year launched a program to help transition retiring government workers into new private sector tech jobs. And two years ago, the company launched an initiative to woo more students in Appalachia into pursuing tech careers.