(Black PR Wire) Shaping a more diverse technology industry requires that we rethink our sources of talent and broaden our recruiting pipeline to access available diverse talent. As part of our commitment to expand the talent pipeline, Intel is announcing the Intel HBCU Grant Program, a three-year, $4.5 million program to encourage students to remain in STEM pathways at six historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The participating HBCUs include Florida A&M University, Morgan State University, Howard University, Prairie View A&M University, North Carolina A&T State University and Tuskegee University.

As part of the program, $3.9 million will be awarded directly to the HBCUs and $600,000 will be used for workshops and activities that bring HBCUs and the technology industry together to ensure students are prepared with the relevant skills to enter the tech workforce.

The three-year Intel HBCU Grant Program supports multiyear investments in computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering programs, curriculum and labs, and has three components:

• Scholarships: Two-year scholarships for students from college juniors to Ph.D.-level students with majors in computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering.
• Student Experiences: Providing computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering students with opportunities to participate in labs, workshops and research experiences.
• Tech Industry Workshops:Workshops hosted by Intel that bring together HBCUs and the technology industry to equip students with the relevant skills to succeed in the technology sector.

The Intel HBCU Grant Program resulted from a collaboration between Intel and the HBCUs to address the historic gap in HBCU students pursuing STEM degrees. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that African-American students are more likely to switch out of STEM majors within their first year of college and only 11 percent of bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields are conferred to African-American students.

The Intel HBCU Grant Program is part of our $300 million Diversity in Technology initiative, which supports our bold goal of reaching full representation of women and underrepresented minorities in our U.S. workforce by 2020. In support of this goal, beginning in 2015, Intel increased the number of schools at which we recruit by 60 percent year over year. We also encourage more women and underrepresented minorities to enter and succeed in tech through programs and investments with organizations that include the National GEM Consortium, Georgia Tech, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, CODE2040, and Oakland Unified School District, among others.

Following the success of our other STEM pathway programs and being named a 2016 Top Supporter of HBCU Engineering Schools by US Black Engineer and Information Technology Magazine, we’re excited to kick off the Intel HBCU Grant Program and nurture the next generation of diverse talent that will lead us into the future.

To learn more about Intel’s diversity and inclusion efforts, visit www.intel.com/diversity as well as Intel’s 2016 Corporate Responsibility Report.