In support of its Synapse initiative,
Cognizant's philanthropic funding reaffirms its long commitment to
training individuals for the jobs of the future
TEANECK, N.J., April 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ --
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH), a leading global
technology company, has awarded $70
million in philanthropic funds through 117 grants to 77
organizations globally since 2018. This milestone builds on
Cognizant's long history investing philanthropic dollars into
global skilling programs and building partnerships that drive
economic mobility for under-represented communities. More recently,
Cognizant's corporate giving effort has been embedded as a key part
of the company's Synapse initiative to train one million
individuals for the jobs of the future by the end of 2026.
Cognizant has a deep history of investing in training and
educating the global workforce, as well as uplifting
underrepresented communities and marginalized groups through
pathways to success. As a key part of Cognizant's recently
launched Synapse initiative, philanthropic dollars, community
partnerships and volunteerism will aim to help 300,000 individuals
make successful career transitions into technology and future
forward AI jobs.
Commenting on these initiatives, Tobi
Young, Senior Vice President and Chief Corporate Affairs
Officer at Cognizant, said, "Cognizant launched Synapse as part of
our commitment to skilling and preparing the workforce for AI and
the digital economy. We are proud to invest with our nonprofit and
community education partnerships to equip individuals with new
technology skills, to sustain communities as the digital economy
grows, and to improve economic opportunities for all."
Cognizant focuses its skilling investments on organizations that
1) provide early access to learning and networking; 2) create
pathways for individuals entering or advancing their careers in
tech, and 3) inspire new ideas that push the technology industry
forward in support of skilling. Taken together, these
organizations have been instrumental in inspiring, educating, and
preparing communities and individuals of all ages to succeed in
today's rapidly evolving workforce. In 2023 alone, a sampling
of Cognizant's global corporate giving includes:
1. Organizations that provide early access to learning and
networking, such as:
- Girlstart
-
- Supporting year-round STEM education for girls. In 2024,
Girlstart aims to reach 1,800+ 4th and 5th grade girls through 88
After School programs in Texas,
California and Massachusetts as well as 900+ girls in grades
4-8 through 36 thematic, STEM-intensive summer camps.
- Raspberry Pi Foundation
-
- Supporting the Code Club and CoderDojo programs in the UK,
offering free and accessible opportunities for young people to
learn how to code and create with digital technology. These clubs
are delivered locally by educators and volunteers in community
venues such as schools and libraries, and 17,000 students are
expected to directly benefit from this investment.
- Year Up
-
- Supporting Year Up's direct service and innovative
workforce development programs across the country in regions like
Atlanta, Austin, Bay Area, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, New
York, Phoenix and more.
Funding helps enable Year Up to continue implementing their job
training programs, explore new program models, and improve
internal organizational operations to better serve 4,000+ young
adults in 2024.
2. Organizations that create pathways for individuals
entering and advancing their careers in tech, such as:
- Blind Institute of Technology
- Supporting the Blind Institute of Technology's Academy, which
delivers industry-relevant technical skills training and
credentialling to disabled job seekers who want to increase their
wage potential and find meaningful work.
- Code Platoon
- Supporting Code Platoon's Full-stack software engineering and
DevOps cloud engineering training programs in 2024. Since 2016,
CodePlatoon has graduated over 500 veterans and military spouses,
74% of whom have found a job within 6 months of graduation.
- ReDI School of Digital
Integration
- Supporting the ReDI School of Digital Integration in
Germany as it empowers individuals
who might otherwise be excluded from the tech landscape. This will
contribute to the creation of a diverse, skilled, and
interconnected global community. Funding from Cognizant supports
the Digital Career Program, which offers high-tech courses for
students who want to develop a career in the tech industry, and The
Digital Women Program, which works to empower women in tech.
- ICT Academy
- Cognizant Foundation India, under its flagship "Tech4All"
initiative has partnered with ICT Academy, Tamil Nadu to train
5,000 underprivileged women graduates with advanced tech skilling
by establishing a Centre of Excellence for Women Empowerment in 71
colleges across the Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu,
and Telangana. The objective of the project is to empower women
graduates with essential industry 4.0 skills and ensure their
preparedness for the dynamic job market.
3. Organizations that inspire new ideas that push
the technology industry forward in support of skilling, such
as:
- National Governors Association Center for Best Practices,
Workforce Innovation Network
-
- National Governors Association Center for Best Practices (NGA
Center), Workforce Innovation Network: Supporting Phase III of the
NGA Center's Workforce Innovation Network to elevate public and
private sector leaders who are advancing innovative workforce
solutions that prepare workers for the jobs of tomorrow. The gift
supports convenings of governors' advisors and state policy makers,
as well as thought leadership to advance the field and assistance
states aiming to implement best practices.
- Work Shift, AI & Economic Opportunity Reporting
Initiative
-
- Supporting in-depth reporting on the ways that artificial
intelligence is reshaping education and work—with a particular
focus on whether its use is exacerbating inequalities or opening
new doors to economic advancement. The project will zero in on 1)
AI's specific role in building (or hindering) better connections
between postsecondary education and work, 2) the potential impacts
on economic advancement for people in the bottom half of the income
strata, and 3) concrete examples of how AI's use is already
impacting postsecondary education and work.
Cognizant's Synapse initiative is aimed at preparing and
equipping individuals from diverse backgrounds, worldwide, who have
lacked access to technology skills to participate and thrive as
more jobs become dependent on technology knowhow. Cognizant
believes that a key ingredient in sustainability is investing in
training and upskilling so that individuals are empowered with the
technology skills to maintain their livelihoods and communities.
For more information on Synapse, visit here.
About Cognizant
Cognizant (Nasdaq: CTSH) engineers
modern businesses. We help our clients modernize technology,
reimagine processes and transform experiences so they can stay
ahead in our fast-changing world. Together, we're improving
everyday life. See how at www.cognizant.com or
@cognizant.
For more
information, contact:
|
|
U.S.
Name Gabrielle
Gugliocciello
Email
Gabrielle.Gugliocciello@cognizant.com
|
|
Europe /
APAC
Name Christina
Schneider
Email
christina.schneider@cognizant.com
|
|
India
Name Rashmi
Vasisht
Email
rashmi.vasisht@cognizant.com
|
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