HBCU Pride: Major Companies Are Hiring HBCU Grads At Historical Rates
Since the beginning of the pandemic, there has been numerous acts of injustice that have gained national and worldwide outrage just 6 months into 2020 alone. In retrospect, these unfortunate events have brought more light and attention to the black community and our cry for justice and peace. The push for racial equity has garnered many high profile companies to take a stand whether through their public commitments and/or monetary contributions to the black community. The pandemic brought out more attention to these social issues than ever because it forced the world to be at a standstill and recognize what is really going on in our society.
Although we are still finding our new normal, it is quite refreshing to hear a little bit of good news that will give us hope for the future. With the economy quickly ramping back up, the labor shortage has caused many companies to aggressively seek out new talent. It has been reported that HBCU career service leaders and officials have seen skyrocketing numbers of major companies recruiting their graduates. Major HBCU schools have seen a significant rise in partnerships with Fortune 500 companies that grant opportunities for internships and full time employment for HBCU students. Here’s a few reports highlighting the vast influx of HBCU recruitment:
Morgan State University saw a 263% increase in Fortune 500 employer logins over the last year due to the urgent need of hiring new talent. Another highly-known HBCU, Howard University, has seen more career outreach opportunities from companies such as JP Morgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, Google, and Proctor & Gamble which have increased by 100% over the last year. Prairie View A&M University has also reported a 56% rise in the number of companies participating in its spring virtual career fair as well as corporate partnerships from companies such as IBM and TD Ameritrade. The hiring rate for HBCU graduates shot up an average 5.9% according to the Workforce Report from LinkedIn.
It is no surprise that HBCUs create a great source of career-ready talent with an estimate of producing 25% of all African-Americans with STEM degrees. The notion of being overlooked by major companies is slowly closing in now that high profile companies are prioritizing recruiting HBCU candidates as an effort to bring a diversity of skill and experience to the company. A short list of companies who prioritize recruiting from HBCUs are: AllianceBernstein, American Airlines, Amtrak, Boeing, Crowe Global, Deutsche Bank, GE Appliances, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon. Each of these companies shows that it is no enough to simply say that they want to hire more diverse candidates. Through partnerships, programs, and scholarships, they work to support HBCU students in their development and prioritize hiring them once they graduate. These innovate programs and recruiting efforts are pushing the narrative for future and current HBCU students!
