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In celebration of the Hispanic Heritage Month through September and October, IBM wants to recognize the profound importance of the U.S. Hispanic community; the challenges the community is facing in the workplace; as well as disclosing the company's commitments to empowering the U.S. Hispanic population around education, mentorship and career opportunities.

Newburgh P-TECH First Graduating Class 2018

A new survey conducted by IBM Institute for Business Value (IBV) polled Hispanic attitudes about living in the U.S. Many respondents reported a lack of opportunities for professional advancement as a reason keeping them from climbing the career ladder.

Key findings:

• 67% of those surveyed say that they have to work harder to succeed because of their Hispanic identity.
• Only 30% of junior managers surveyed have access to mentorship programs or on-the-job training.
• Only 20% of those surveyed feel empowered to overcome their professional challenges.

"In the U.S., 60.6 million Hispanics, most below 35 years old, are fueling the economic and talent pool growth in the country, and yet only 4% make it to executive positions,’’ said Jesus Mantas, Senior Managing Partner, IBM Services, and co-chair of the IBM Hispanic Council.  “Mentoring and access to professional advancement opportunities is highlighted as one of the strongest factors that helped those that made it to the top. It's time to take action," Mantas said. "This is why IBM is Placing a Bet on the Hispanic Community on three key action pillars: education, mentorships and advocacy."

Jesus Mantas

To approach this challenge, IBM has created a corporate road map to empower the U.S. Hispanic community:

• Education: IBM is working with policy makers and education leaders to double the number of P-TECH schools—IBM's education model to prepare young people with the academic, technical and professional skills required for 21st Century Jobs—in predominately Hispanic communities. This effort will expand the program to 150 schools in the U.S., which is 50% of the company's total commitment of 300 by 2023.
• Mentorship: IBM is kicking-off the IBM Mentorship Marathon to empower Hispanics and advance their career opportunities. The Marathon will begin with P-TECH schools in the U.S. by matching 1,000 IBM mentors with the students, and encouraging other Fortune 500 companies to join the effort. This initiative will also benefit all our P-TECH students in the U.S.

"As a company,’’ Mantas said, “we believe diversity and inclusive teams are higher performing, more innovative, more resilient and a critical element to ensure ethical use of technology -including Artificial Intelligence- across our company and society. Education and mentorship are key to close the skills gap and to prepare the younger generation with the skills of the future."

A full study report on the IBV survey will be released at the beginning of 2021.