Education & Workforce Development

Today, American Express and Pharrell Williams announced an expanded partnership and joint commitment to raise awareness and support to bring more arts education to schools nationwide. As part of the collaboration, American Express Platinum and Pharrell will host a fundraising event, called the Yellow Ball, with an all-star lineup of collaborators on September 10, at the Brooklyn Museum to benefit Young Audiences Arts for Learning. American Express will also gift $1 Million to Young Audiences, the nation's largest arts-in-education network whose work strives to inspire young people and expand their learning through the arts.

Culture is everything in today’s agile business climate. General Motors outlines in its latest Diversity & Inclusion Report (www.gm.com/diversity) how it leverages diversity to build an industry-leading workplace of choice that drives business results.

For more than two decades, Cisco has built a world-leading IT training program, Cisco Networking Academy, which has empowered millions around the world. Now we are taking this experience to younger learners with Global Problem Solvers: The Series (GPS: The Series), a new animated web series for kids exploring entrepreneurship, life skills, and how to use technology for social good.

Symantec’s Volunteer of the Quarter initiative highlights and rewards those employees who dedicate their time and talents to address societal and environmental issues. Today we highlight our Volunteer of the Quarter Nick Coates, Principal ITSM Solutions Engineer, Production Engineering, in our Reading UK office.

Although women fill nearly half of all jobs in the U.S., they hold less than 25% of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) jobs, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. A nonprofit camp in Charlotte is working to close this gender gap with help from local companies like Duke Energy.

The warm summer months bring back fond memories. For some of us, the fondest include leaving our families for weeks at a time to head off to summer camp.

Recently, Will Dickson, iHub University Innovation champion and MIT lead talent scout for General Motors, had the opportunity to do just that at the National Youth Science Camp (NYSC) in Bartow, West Virginia.

Each year this STEM-focused camp invites more than 120 incoming college freshman “delegates” from across the country and around the world to explore the vast career opportunities a STEM degree can provide.

Look at any community around the world that works with Fair Trade, from the smallest village in Uganda, to a coastal fishing town in Mexico, and you'll see that no two have the same exact set of needs. That’s why Fair Trade USA leaves power in the hands of committees of farmers and workers to decide for themselves how the additional funds earned through Fair Trade—called Community Development Funds—will be spent. Regardless of those unique challenges, many see education as the most promising solution. Our neighbors around the world are longing to write a better future for themselves and their children by creating opportunities to learn and grow.

Bloomberg’s summer interns are immersed not only in the company’s day-to-day business but also in our culture of service and giving back. As part of Bloomberg Philanthropies, we are dedicated to helping our communities around the world and work with a wide range of partners on programs ranging from mentoring students to preserving natural resources and protecting our planet.

Whole Kids Foundation announced today that it raised more than $60,000 to fund 30 new educational bee programs through the first Give Bees a Chance campaign during June’s National Pollinator Month. Grant recipients cover 23 states, providing educational opportunities around science, ecology, nutrition and agriculture for 15,574 students.