Comcast Partners With NPower on New Approaches for Hiring Women of Color in Tech

Originally published at corporate.comcast.com. Comcast NBCUniversal ranked No. 7 on The Fair360, formerly DiversityInc Top 50 Companies for Diversity list in 2022.

 

NPower is on a mission to move more people from poverty to the middle-class through tech skills training and quality job placement. Comcast NBCUniversal has partnered with the organization to support NPower’s Command Shift Coalition — which recently celebrated its one-year anniversary — and its goal to double the presence of women of color in the tech industry from 5% to 10% over the next 10 years.

“I am inspired by the coalition’s mission and honored to be a member,” said PaShon Mann, VP of Talent Acquisition and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Comcast. “The coalition provides employers with the knowledge and tools to move women of color from unemployment to middle income careers in tech — filling a critical equality gap.”

New research from the Command Shift Coalition, developed with support from Comcast, unveils a previously overlooked, viable talent pipeline of women of color ready for careers in tech. The Equation for Equality report shares new approaches for sourcing, recruiting, upskilling and supporting underrepresented women with skills that overlap with tech job requirements. Among the findings, the research highlights:

  • 225K women of color are severely underrepresented in tech jobs. Of the 4.7M tech workers in the U.S. today, Black, Latinx and American Indian women make up only 5%.
  • 2.5M women of color considered skill-similar, tech-eligible talent were identified by the research. Doubling the percentage of women of color hired into tech could put the industry at equity.
  • 250K women of color would have to be hired into tech roles to fill the equality gap.

A case study from the report, Leading Indicators, highlights an HR practice from Comcast Cable’s Technology, Product & Experience (TPX) team. Below is an excerpt:

When it comes to diversity, equity and inclusion, Comcast NBCUniversal is intentional about using data to inform its approach, guide its focus and maintain accountability. Comcast is using a thoughtful and systematic strategy to improve representation of underrepresented groups at all levels of its workforce.

First, Comcast considers a broad range of qualifications by focusing on experience and skills as well as talent coming out of bootcamps and other non-degree certifications. The company hires a greater number of entry-level positions than senior positions and provides programs and initiatives to help grow skills and develop career advancement pathways. These approaches mean that a position at Comcast is accessible to a wider range of candidates.

“If you look at our performance in 2019 versus 2021, TPX saw a year-over-year 12% increase in women hires and a 10.5% increase in underrepresented (non-Asian) people of color,” said Benjamin Ryan, VP of ULearn and Talent Management, TPX at Comcast. “We can attribute this, in part, to the intentional and collaborative approach between Talent Acquisition and hiring managers to focus on process level goals rather than outcome targets.”

Read the full case study and report. Comcast NBCUniversal’s partnership with NPower is part of Project UP, the company’s comprehensive initiative to advance digital equity and help build a future of unlimited possibilities.

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