Early Skill Development

• "One of the most effective and proactive steps employers can take is to expand quality internships for young people of color. Offering compensated career exposure through onsite and remote experiences can ensure that students have information about their options early on."
• "In addition to internship programs, industry and skills-specific programs are partnering with businesses to provide students of color with effective learning opportunities."
• "CodePath.org, for instance, is an organization that works with major employers, including Facebook and Google, to create open-source computer science courses that are targeted specifically to underrepresented students and can be taught on any campus. The courses are aligned to the tech industry’s fastest-growing specialties, like cybersecurity and mobile app development, and they are nimble enough to evolve with frequent technological changes."

Hiring

• Businesses such as the BBC, Deloitte, and HSBC have begun "blind recruitment" to shortlist candidates for entry-level hiring instead of relying on Ivy League degrees and references from proxies. The name, age, education, and other indicators that can introduce bias are removed from the applications and the "hiring rubrics, screening questions, and tests" are aligned with skills required for a particular job. The Equity Lab and 228 Accelerator are examples of two organizations that are working with businesses to change "HR practices, training routines, and other systems" to support diverse and unbiased hiring.
• Networks are still critical to landing a job. However, "people of color and first-generation college students lack access to the most influential networks." America Needs You and Beyond 12 are examples of organizations that are working toward "closing the college access and network gaps".
• "Businesses that want to be proactive about reaching local talent can also take a look at the 538 workforce boards and 1,600 job centers across the country, where many urban youth go to look for jobs in their immediate communities."

Best Practices in Diversity Hiring

•  Campus hiring from schools with a diverse student population
• Showcasing diversity and inclusion activities on the firms "career page and social media channels"
• "Partner with multicultural professional associations and student groups"
• "Attend virtual career fairs for targeted minority student groups"
• Emphasize the need for a diverse workforce in the company's employee referral program 
• "Use social media to source and market to diverse talents"
• "Engage in philanthropic activities that supports D&I efforts"
• Use the "ERG to directly interview and hire diverse candidates"
• "Organize specific, short-term events for underrepresented student groups"
• "Use the right metrics to monitor diversity recruiting efforts"