Month: March 2023

Originally published on bloomberg.com

Access to educational and employment pathways are not always easy to come by for people in underserved communities. First Generation college students have additional unique challenges that according to research, create a gap in earnings and other economic outcomes when not addressed. Bloomberg partners with a number of nonprofit organizations that aim to bridge that gap. These organizations provide students with an opportunity to engage with corporate partners in a variety of settings meant to improve professional know-how and arm high-achieving, low-income students with the knowledge and network that can set them up for a successful career.

Organizations like Project Basta, Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America (LEDA) and Management Leadership for Tomorrow (MLT) work with a wide range of corporate partners to connect First Generation students and students from underrepresented communities with critical career resources, networks, and mentors. They create new pipelines for companies to hire talented individuals that, in the past, might have been overlooked.

At Bloomberg, our recruiting team builds a diverse talent pipeline as students from our nonprofit partners participate in summer internships. These internships prepare and position students for job offers with Bloomberg. Through our Corporate Philanthropy programs, we’ve created a global network of volunteer mentors that help students explore career options and develop formalized networks that provide professional development support. Bloomberg employees, many who are alumni of our non-profit partners, work to share their experiences while providing opportunities that allow students to test what they learn with their nonprofit partners in a real-world professional setting.

As first-generation college graduates are being recruited, hired, and empowered at more and more companies, they are coming together more often to create a space for First-Gen experiences to be shared to help build confidence and grow community. Just being hired is not always enough without a support network and mentors to help guide the way through unfamiliar corporate practices. Six young First-Gen professionals at Bloomberg shared their advice for First-Gen college students who are starting out.

Vanessa Mercedes Almonte

Product Sales, Project Basta

When I was a BASTA fellow, the best advice I received was to really focus on the type of jobs I actually wanted and not the job I thought I could get based on my experience. I felt I was at a disadvantage after graduating from college because I had to work 2 jobs through college while being a full time student so I had no time left to do any internships. I thought my experience working as a front desk in a medical office was not relevant. BASTA made me understand the value in each of my experiences and helped build the confidence I needed to go for the jobs I really wanted.

Many Correa

Bloomberg Philanthropies, LEDA

I wish someone had told me that whatever career path I went down, there would always be opportunities to learn and grow. At Bloomberg, for example, there are formal opportunities like Bloomberg University courses and outside professional development courses or conferences, but there are also important informal opportunities for professional growth, like carefully reading an article on the latest research in your field or speaking with colleagues over lunch. It’s also incredibly important to grow your network which can be daunting but my mentor reminded me it can be as easy as asking for coffee chats. As an intern, and even now as an employee, coffee chats are a fantastic way to build relationships, make connections, learn about your colleagues’ work, and collaborate with others.

Estefany Diaz

Analytics, Project Basta

The best advice I received from a mentor is that interviews are a two way street. They are not only for me to demonstrate I’m a good fit for the role but also to learn if the role and the company are a good fit for me. I also learned your career path is not always a straight path. Sometimes taking a detour is ok. I started in a role that wasn’t exactly related to what I studied in college but it helped me develop my technical and soft skills. Now I am in a role where I use both the skills I developed at my first role and what I studied in college.

Raeven Mataya

Analytics, LEDA

As I started thinking about potential career paths, I wish I had known then that it’s important to not count anything out, including yourself. There are so many paths out there, ones both unknown and waiting to be created, and not only are they achievable, but there are places and people out there waiting to benefit from having your perspective. It may seem difficult navigating unfamiliar fields like business or technology, especially coming from a first-generation background, but I’ve found those experiences often cultivate resiliency, innovative and critical thinking, and other skills that set you up for success. Mentors have emphasized the importance of having an open mind as well as the benefits of pouring the lessons and experiences you’ve accumulated into others to ensure success and opportunities are shared.

Safia Jamekay

Enterprise Services, MLT

Network with as many people as you can that are in the position you see yourself being in. Yes, we all have our own individual experiences but through conversations you can get a sense of what you are getting into before jumping into it. The best piece of advice I received from a mentor in my network was to not be a victim of my own negative thinking. Imposter syndrome is both real and common but it’s important to acknowledge that my success and opportunities were well-earned.

Stephanie Orlic

Bloomberg Media, Project Basta

Never limit myself to opportunities that arise due to lack of knowledge or experience. Despite not knowing all the answers to questions that may arise, your research and strategy to find those answers can be your biggest superpower. Instead of being afraid of failing, challenge that fear and morph it into excitement about learning something new and gaining a new skill. As a young professional, I might not have as much experience as my senior-level peers, but I am able to provide perspective and innovative ideas, nonetheless. In the moments where I am not sure about how to approach something, researching and preparing will allow me to make an informed decision and support my team in my own unique way.

DETROIT, LAUSANNE, Switzerland, and NEWARK, Calif., March 31, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Pensole Lewis College (PLC), the first and only HBCU (Historically Black College and University) with a focus on design, and Logitech International (SIX: LOGN) (Nasdaq: LOGI) announced a multifaceted long-term partnership aimed at revolutionizing the next generation of design through technology and education.

Through this partnership, Logitech will donate a variety of advanced technology tools to further design creatives at PLC, including mice, keyboards, headsets, streaming cameras and more, as well as assist in co-creating spaces for students to ideate and collaborate. As PLC continues to grow, the partnership with Logitech will be essential to the success of future curriculum and programming using technology. In addition to providing hardware and training to help students bring their design ideas to life, PLC will collaborate with Logitech to develop a joint design curriculum aimed at giving students the opportunity to enhance their skills and creativity, while improving and honing their current design skills. The courses will also connect students with a network of Logitech design professionals that will serve as mentors and resources, with potential internship opportunities at the company in the future.

Most immediately, Logitech’s donated equipment has enabled the launch of the school’s official podcast, Blacklights, a platform created for design students at PLC, and the entire HBCU community, that will discuss a variety of industry topics with leading diverse creative professionals from the industry’s top brands featured in each episode. The podcast will formally kick off and air its first episode on Tuesday, March 28 with guest Portia Blunt, VP of Apparel at Reebok. Click to listen to the podcast on Spotify and Apple.

“Logitech is an innovative company that powers the globe with inventive products to help us reach our creative best,” said Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, founder of PLC. “Our partnership with Logitech is a major step forward as we build PLC into the industry’s college, beginning with the industry’s best brand. We will do this together as we share the same mission to diversify the industry by introducing diverse thoughts. This will lead to the innovation needed to inspire the next generation.”

The partnership between PLC and Logitech represents significant progress in the world of design education by bringing together cutting-edge technology and customized curriculum to help the next generation of designers succeed, giving rise to a more diverse and sustainability-focused creative community.

“Design is at the center of everything we do and we’re honored to be working with Pensole on their design initiatives and curriculum,” said Alastair Curtis, chief design officer at Logitech. “This partnership is an investment into a new generation of designers and design education so together we can take great strides supporting a diversity of talent and backgrounds that will benefit the design industry, making our future and the products and experiences we create more inclusive and sustainable.”

About Pensole Lewis College

Pensole Lewis College of Business & Design (PLC) is the nation’s first-ever Historically Black College/University to reopen and have a focus on design. Under the direction of Dr. D’Wayne Edwards, who is also the founder of PENSOLE Academy, and Dr. Violet T. Lewis, the founder of Lewis College of Business shared the same vision and now has become one. PLC is the pipeline HBCU for career education and professional development in the product creation industry. We are the industry’s creative NorthStar, dedicated to lighting the way forward to a better and more diverse future for the next generation, leaving our industry better than when we entered it. In May of 2022, Pensole Lewis College began offering new pathway programs to break into the industry, ranging from product, color & material, apparel, sustainability, business, STEM, and more, serving young Black creatives across multiple industries.

For more information, please visit www.pensolelewiscollege.com.

About Logitech

Logitech helps all people pursue their passions and is committed to doing so in a way that is good for people and the planet. We design hardware and software solutions that help businesses thrive and bring people together when working, creating, gaming and streaming. Brands of Logitech include Logitech, Logitech G, ASTRO Gaming, Streamlabs, Blue Microphones and Ultimate Ears.

Founded in 1981, and headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland, Logitech International is a Swiss public company listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange (LOGN) and on the Nasdaq Global Select Market (LOGI). Find Logitech at www.logitech.com, the company blog or @logitech.

Logitech and other Logitech marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Logitech Europe S.A. and/or its affiliates in the U.S. and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. For more information about Logitech and its products, visit the company’s website at www.logitech.com

Contacts

Editorial Contacts:
Nikki Taylor, Marketing Communications, Pensole Lewis College – nikki@pensole.com
Smita Rode, Corporate Communications, Logitech – srode@logitech.com

PARIS and NEW YORK March 31, 2023 /3BL Media/ – EcoVadis is reporting on the sustainable business practices being adopted by the 100,000+ companies with a sustainability rating in its network and the key metrics quantifying the positive social and environmental outcomes of these efforts. Nearly 1,000 enterprise customers are now using the EcoVadis platform to manage their value chain sustainability, expanding the total global procurement spend covered by EcoVadis Ratings to more than $2.6 trillion. These insights and more, mapped across EcoVadis’ model for generating impact, are revealed today in the sustainability ratings provider’s third annual Network Impact Report.

COP27 highlighted the need for stronger collaboration on key sustainability issues such as corporate net-zero action. This year’s Network Impact Report shows how EcoVadis’ Impact Model is enabling companies to collaborate closely with their trading partners on sustainability to build transparency, drive tangible improvement and scale positive impact throughout value chains.

The Impact Model consists of three phases: First, multinational buyers and private equity firms invite their trading partners to be rated by EcoVadis and leverage the insights to embed sustainability into their procurement or investment strategies. Then, rated companies use their scorecard results and the EcoVadis platform to improve their ESG management systems and adopt sustainable best practices. Finally, EcoVadis enables companies to track and report the outcomes of this process, helping both requesting and rated companies fine-tune their approach and scale their efforts.

“Businesses understand that despite ongoing supply chain, macro-economic and regulatory challenges, transforming commitments into immediate action is crucial for long-term resilience and success,” said Pierre-François Thaler, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of EcoVadis. “The acceleration in positive actions across our network shows how our customers are extending beyond their risk and compliance foundations to make progress toward positively impacting society and the planet.”

EcoVadis published 40,000 scorecards in 2022, of which 48% were for companies new to the network. This brings the total companies rated by EcoVadis to 107,000, representing more than 90 million workers across global supply chains. EcoVadis has collected nearly 14 million data points on the performance of its network across 38 key sustainability metrics.

This edition of the Network Impact Report shows how companies can improve their sustainability performance in a quantifiable way. Selected best practices that companies adopted for the first time in 2022 include:

Environment:

2,653 companies implemented reuse/recycling actions (25% increase over 2021)1,422 companies implemented water recycling actions (124% increase over 2021)

Health & Safety:

5,779 companies provided personal protective equipment (53% increase over 2021)4,588 companies trained employees on health and safety (65% increase over 2021)

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion:

13,483 companies developed policies on diversity, equity and inclusion (updated in 2021*)3,237 companies implemented actions to promote diversity (39% increase over 2021)

Additionally, EcoVadis’ Carbon Action Module provides companies with deeper insights into their carbon performance. The 23,000 carbon maturity scorecards generated through the Module in 2022 reveal the following:

10,482 companies implemented policies on energy and GHG emissions (updated in 2021*)5,244 companies reported on energy consumption (44% increase over 2021)4,389 companies reported on GHG emissions (56% increase over 2021)

For more information on how EcoVadis helps organizations deepen their sustainability commitments and turn them into long-term success, read the third annual EcoVadis Network Impact Report here.

*Comparison not available due to new or expanded aggregation of figures in the prior year.

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About EcoVadis

EcoVadis is a purpose-driven company whose mission is to provide the world’s most trusted business sustainability ratings. Businesses of all sizes rely on EcoVadis’ expert intelligence and evidence-based ratings to monitor and improve the sustainability performance of their business and trading partners. Its actionable scorecards, benchmarks, carbon action tools, and insights guide an improvement journey for environmental, social and ethical practices across 200 industry categories and 175 countries. Industry leaders such as Johnson & Johnson, L’Oréal, Unilever, LVMH, Bridgestone, BASF and JPMorgan are among the 100,000 businesses that collaborate with EcoVadis to drive resilience, sustainable growth and positive impact worldwide. Learn more on ecovadis.com, Twitter or LinkedIn.

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