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It’s why we are pleased
to be a pioneer and
national leader when it
comes to supplier
diversity. We created
our supplier diversity
program in 1968 … and
spent $5 billion with
diverse suppliers in
2007 alone.
That same commitment to
diversity is why we are
proud to support our
communities and serve
diverse populations in
ways that are culturally
relevant and respectful.
But we believe there is
another way businesses
like ours can support
diversity. I’d like to
share one example.
Every year, one in three
students – more than one
million children each
year – fail to graduate
with their classmates.
And the reality is even
worse for Latino
students, who are far
more likely to drop out
than the general
population.
Statistics like these
hide a terrible human
cost. A good education
has always been the
gateway to a better life
and a broader choice of
careers. When we fail to
provide that education,
we make it harder for
our kids to get the
skills and experiences
they need in today’s
digital economy.
When you consider that
Latinos have become the
largest and fastest
growing minority group
in the U.S. – and that
one-third of the
Hispanic population
currently is under the
age of 18 – you begin to
see the scope of the
problem.
We
need to reverse these
trends.
Earlier this year, we
announced the largest
education initiative in
our company’s history,
AT&T Aspire – a $100
million commitment to
keep kids in school and
improve their chances
for a better life.
One element of Aspire is
designed to help
children see the real-world
relevance of what they
learn in school.
We
partnered with Junior
Achievement to offer
100,000 students the
opportunity to job-shadow
10,000 AT&T employees.
We believe there is
great value in giving
students an up-close
look at the skills they
will need to compete in
the modern workforce.
I had the opportunity to
become the first of
those 10,000 AT&T
employees when Alex
Elizardo, a Texas high
school student, shadowed
me for a day on my job.
It
was a great experience
for both of us. Actually,
I think I learned as
much from Alex as he
learned from me. But the
best part was that Alex
went on to graduate with
his classmates in June.
And he recently sent me
an e-mail announcing his
intention to pursue a
business degree.
We
believe that diversity
only begins with the
kind of workforce we
build or the ways in
which we serve diverse
customers. In a
fundamental sense, it
also includes the
investments we make in
our communities and our
children. And at AT&T,
we consider this one of
the most important
investments anyone can
make. |
