Inspiring a New Generation of Digital Innovators, Empowering Educators

The Challenge

By 2022, 52% of all jobs are expected to require cognitive abilities such as creativity, logical reasoning, and problem sensitivity as part of their core skill set. 65% of students entering primary school today will be in jobs that don’t exist yet, and women and minorities will endure 48% of the impact of technological shifts.

As a global firm that supports a wide range of industries, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) feels the impact of that data through each of their clients. They recognize that in this new world of work, companies across sectors have the responsibility to invest in developing talent with transdisciplinary capabilities in computational thinking, digital fluency, innovation excellence, employability skills, and technical proficiency.

• 65%

  of students will have jobs that don't exist yet

The Solution

To fully support the breadth of challenges we face in our workforce, TCS takes a multi-point approach, dedicating time and resources to reskilling and upskilling employees to realize their full potential, preparing youth for 21st century careers, empowering women and minorities who are underrepresented in the workforce, investing in academia and research, and other joint efforts to close the skills gap.

To make this happen, TCS has embraced partnership, volunteerism, and the power of their own voice as a business in this economy to bring awareness to the new and developing careers that continue to evolve and demand skilled talent. TCS demonstrates that employers should identify where their expertise can add value and focus solution development in those areas, partnering with established organizations who already have the expertise you need where possible.

Impact Through Empowerment

The TCS approach to engaging in the challenges facing our nation’s talent pipeline starts with using their own core competencies as the driver for where they’ll focus their impact.

They leverage those core competencies to create innovative solutions and engage their employees in volunteerism to become a part of the solution.

Empowering their own employees to flex their knowledge in STEM, TCS is creating tomorrow’s STEM leaders through their goIT program, offered free of charge to schools across the country. TCS volunteers demystify computer science for middle and high school students through experiential, immersive programming and help them gain the skills and confidence required to pursue STEM degrees. Students are introduced to design thinking as a problem-solving framework and work in teams to learn new programming languages, tackle design challenges, and collaborate through hands-on technology education.

TCS goes beyond the students to also cover career awareness, teacher training, and parent orientation to ensure the full community surrounding that student is involved.

Since its launch in 2009, has expanded into 76 cities across North America with the help of nearly 3,600 TCS employee volunteers and engaged 23,000 middle and high school students in the United States and Canada. Seventy percent of goIT students say they’re more interested in STEM fields after the program.

• 94%

  of students from this program now see an opportunity in a STEM career
• 23,000+

  students served in 76 cities across North America
• 42%

  of students reached through the program are girls, over 60% are minorities

Reimagining Public Education

Strategically designed to introduce computational thinking (CT) within the context of core subjects, IMFIS is reimagining public education by empowering teachers and schools to adopt a transdisciplinary approach.

Students learn CT skills embedded within core subjects such as mathematics, science, social studies, language arts, and physical education.

CT skills are the great equalizer, giving learners a problem-solving mindset for the 21st century. CT skills also makes communities more resilient to the adoption of technologies like artificial intelligence and machine learning, opening doors to new career opportunities across all sectors and industries.

The Power of Partnerships

TCS joined forces with Discovery Education when they wanted to transform the way students across America learned through computational thinking. As an expert within its field, TCS brings much-needed context to the classroom and helps create hands-on experiences for skills that are relevant for today’s jobs. Discovery Education brings deep expertise in developing and deploying digital K-12 education in classrooms across the country.

Understanding the importance of educators and the value they can deliver is what led TCS to partner with Discovery Education to develop Ignite My Future in School (IMFIS).

• 460,000

  students and 7,000 teachers reached across 50 states through Ignite My Future in School

• 81

  school districts and 50 states in the U.S., including D.C., have participated in the program

• $4.8 million

  in training expenses have been offset for educators through this program

Serving the Underrepresented, the Current Workforce, & Other Initiatives

In addition to goIT and IMFIS, TCS models more ways to have a positive impact on the future of tech talent.

TCS knows that in their industry, in addition to preparing tomorrow’s workforce, they must also prepare today’s. The pace of technological change is rapid, so TCS invests in the professional development of its existing workforce, providing them access to upskilling and reskilling opportunities, such as on-the-job training and certifications to gain technical competencies and digital skills necessary in today’s economy.

In addition, TCS prioritizes training in the first twelve weeks of employment on technical, business, behavioral, and managerial skills to help employees make a smooth transition from the world of education to the world of work.

If those weren’t enough ideas on how to have an impact on the nation’s talent pipeline, here are a few more within the TCS model:

• With the goal of reducing the overwhelming gender and diversity gap in tech and related industries, TCS has forged long-term partnerships with organizations such as US2020, Million Women Mentors (MWM), NPower, National Center for Women and Information Technology (NCWIT), Impact2030 etc. to empower women and minorities towards access, equity, and inclusion.
• Another partnership, with U.S. universities, TCS has invested in research and development in data privacy, genetic sequencing, nanotechnology, and mobile technology, the next generation technologies that will directly impact future innovation.
• TCS also recognizes the value of investing in multilateral partnerships to close the skills gap. The Closing the Skills Gap project, in collaboration with the World Economic Forum, has established global and national platforms to address critically needed skills and re-shape education and training for the future. Employers can engage in existing initiatives to lend their voice to others working towards the same end goal.