T-Mobile has announced the launch of three innovative programmes during this Black History Month, in a bid to create more opportunities for Black communities across the US.
The initiatives – Magenta Scholars, the NextTech Diversity Program and Magenta Edge – will provide valuable resources and support to Black students, tech workers and business owners as they build their education, careers and livelihoods. These educational and professional development programmes form part of its latest actions to advance diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) within T-Mobile and beyond.
EQUITABLE ACCESS TO RESOURCES
The company believes that change happens when everyone has equitable access to resources, and these three programmes will provide just that for Black Americans. According to statistics students with financial support graduate at twice the rate of Black students overall; Black workers with access to career training and resources can break barriers in a network-infrastructure workforce that currently is comprised of just 10% Black technicians; and Black-owned businesses will benefit from access to free workshops and advice from experts, particularly as they have been twice as likely to close permanently than white-owned businesses because of the economic impact of Covid-19.
“During Black History Month, T-Mobile is taking inspiration from the legacies of Black leaders as we continue doing our part to advance equity across the country,” stated Mike Sievert, CEO of T-Mobile. “The Un-carrier has long stood for diversity, equity and inclusion to better serve our customers, improve how we work together and advance our communities. With these new programmes, we hope to continue to do our part in creating meaningful opportunities for Black Americans across the country and provide resources they need as they build their own legacies.”
MAGENTA SCHOLARS
Today’s students are tomorrow’s workforce, and by investing in their journeys T-Mobile is investing in America’s future. T-Mobile’s Magenta Scholars programme will donate $500,000 to create 18 scholarships for students attending historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The programme is a partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund, which boasts an impressive 80-90% graduation rate among its scholars; more than double the national graduation rate for Black students overall. Scholarship recipients will also have an opportunity to join the Un-carrier’s signature summer internship programme and receive mentorship and professional development opportunities. The application period opens on 18 February and scholarships will be awarded in the autumn of 2021.
Additionally, on 9 February the T-Mobile Tuesdays app gave T-Mobile customers a way to support the Thurgood Marshall College Fund. For every customer that clicks on the donation option in the app, T-Mobile will donate $1 to the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (up to $500,000; and minimum of $250,000), contributing to gap scholarships that help students meet outstanding financial obligations in order to graduate.
NEXTTECH DIVERSITY PROGRAM
Black technicians make up just 10% of the telecom network-infrastructure field, an industry with tens of thousands of open positions that offer the potential for long-term, lucrative careers to those with applicable skills and certification. Over the next five years the NextTech Diversity Program aims to provide career training and placement for thousands of underrepresented candidates to take on roles as 5G network technicians. The programme kicks off with nearly $1 million in funding, starting with $750,000 in initial seed funding from T-Mobile and another $150,000 from other telecommunications partners. Telecom trade school The Learning Alliance will oversee recruitment, training, certification and job placement of candidates as they create long-term careers in roles such as tower climber, 5G small cell and field tech.
Sixty candidates will join the programme in 2021, and T-Mobile is inviting all national and regional telecom partners to contract directly with The Learning Alliance to sponsor even more candidates.
MAGENTA EDGE
Black-owned small businesses in the US have suffered exponentially during the Covid-19 crisis and are about twice as likely to close their doors permanently compared to other businesses. A primary driver for this disparity is a longstanding, systemic lack of access to resources and capital, including difficulty getting business loans. Magenta Edge offers all entrepreneurs expert advice and insight on how to navigate these historically difficult times through the lens of Black-owned small business owners and their stories. It also provides free educational programming on subjects; such as best practices for entrepreneurs while addressing systemic barriers to Black small-business success. This is just the initial phase of Magenta Edge, which will expand to supply additional resources in the coming years. Virtual workshops begin on 11 February and registration is already open.
These new programmes are just a part of T-Mobile’s broader work to further diversity, equity and inclusion among the company’s customers, employees and communities it serves. Click here for more information and on how T-Mobile is celebrating Black History Month.
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