Dell Technologies is working to promote equality and equity in the workforce. To do so, Dell is pledging that at least 50% of participants in its social and educational initiatives will be women or people from underrepresented groups.

Dell has already seen success with this goal in China from its collaboration with the Chinese Women’s Development Foundation. Since 2016, Dell Technologies has provided support for women at Chinese universities majoring in information and communication technology subjects. It has offered classes, workshops, and seminars to help women thrive in the tech industry.

“To align with our goals of increasing the number of women and underrepresented groups within the Dell Technologies workforce, we want at least half of the participants in our social and educational initiatives to be from those same groups.”

You can read more about Dell’s work here.


Honeywell believes early STEM education will drive the next generation of innovators. The company recently joined forces with Kelly Oubre, an NBA player for the Charlotte Hornets, as well as Digi-Bridge, an educational non-profit, to provide 3D printers and teach students about how STEM can be implemented in the fashion industry. Students at Governors’ Village STEM Academy in Charlotte, North Carolina worked with Oubre to design accessories for him to wear to his games.

With the help of Honeywell, students transformed their fashion ideas into 3D-printed wardrobe items such as cuff-style bracelets, pendant necklaces and earrings.

“The project, a partnership between Honeywell, the Charlotte Hornets, and the education non-profit Digi-Bridge, got students thinking about how science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) can help power innovative fashion design.”

You can read more about Honeywell’s work here.



Intel works with its communities to close the digital divide. The company partnered with schools, ecosystem partners, local governments, teachers and device manufacturers to distribute laptops and bolster connectivity in communities, providing a solutions-based online learning approach to a million students globally. In the U.S., Intel provided a remote learning solution to students in over 15,000 families representing 45 school districts that serve Title 1 students. Working with First Book, CDW, and other partners, Intel also launched the Creating Learning Connections Initiative, providing students and educators access to critical tools and resources, including Internet connectivity, technology devices, and hands-on STEM learning solutions.

“COVID-19 has exacerbated the technology and educational inequities in communities of need. Now more than ever, it is critical that we come together with partners to combine our unique assets and capabilities to ensure that students have access to a meaningful virtual learning experience.”

You can read more about Intel’s work here.


Girls4Tech is an educational program in which Mastercard employees teach a STEM curriculum based on global science and technology standards which features Mastercard’s payments technology, including algorithms, encryption, fraud detection, data analysis, and digital convergence in order to help girls ages 8-16 build the skills that will help them become the leaders of tomorrow.

Mastercard has built upon their momentum by furthering their investment in Girls4Tech, announcing a new goal of reaching five million girls by 2025.

Now in its seventh year, Girls4Tech has reached over 1.5 million girls in 44 countries. Due to COVID, Girls4Tech innovated by releasing a website in collaboration with scholastic to meet at-home students’ needs by opening access to the students, as well as their teachers and parents.

Learn more about this valuable program here.


Intel and Dell Technologies have partnered with the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) to create the AI Incubator Network as a part of Intel’s AI for Workforce program, which will design and build AI labs across the country utilizing the expertise and connections of America’s community college system. Each selected community college will be provided 12-month grants of $40,000 each to build out their AI labs.

In addition, Intel will be providing $400,000 in funding as part of its RISE Technology Initiative, Dell Technologies will be providing technical expertise to allow the 10 selected schools to teach students in-person, hybrid, or online, and AACC will support the implementation of the AI labs in colleges that choose to participate in this program.

“Building upon Intel’s partnership with the American Association of Community Colleges and Dell by establishing incubators for emerging technology education across the U.S. will provide greater access to critically needed technical skills and training in AI. This specialized program is a starting point for the next generation of U.S. technologists, engineers and inventors to expand their innovative thinking and go on to land careers in all sectors of the digital economy.”

Michelle Johnston Holthaus, Intel executive vice president and general manager of the Client Computing Group

Learn more about this program here.


Engage. Educate. Employ. In partnership with select minority-serving institutions, Dell is advancing diversity to transform the tech industry.

Through Dell’s unique curriculum, Develop with Dell, the tech company is empowering underrepresented minority students with free access to a world-class sales and STEM training program that enhances their marketability for roles across Dell Technologies, its customer and partner ecosystem, and the IT industry.

Learn more about Dell’s Changing the Face of Tech program here.


Small business owners across the U.S. were disproportionately impacted by shut-downs prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than 40 percent of Black-owned businesses across the U.S. shut down between February and April of 2020, according to a study by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.

To help small businesses owners recover, MasterCard has launched a number of programs to help, including the Strivers Initiative, a platform to increase the visibility of Black female business owners.

The initiative includes a grant program in partnership with Fearless Fund, a VC fund built by women of color for women of color. The partnership will also promote digital tools Mastercard has built to help small businesses build and bolster their digital presence and reach customers online. 

Mastercard had previously announced a half-billion-dollar commitment to support Black communities over the next five years. That includes products, services, technology and financial support, as well as concentrated investments focusing on Black-owned businesses and providing Black people access to affordable financial tools and capital. Part of this program is focused on helping small businesses move online and provide access to products and services to potential customers. 

Mastercard provides a Small Business Digital Readiness Diagnostic, a free online tool to help entrepreneurs understand their strengths and weaknesses across digital, and the Digital Doors curriculum, which helps ensure businesses have the right tools to maximize their digital presence.

Learn more about this Mastercard program here.


The tech industry supports policies that increase opportunity, protect consumer privacy, makes our networks and devices safer and protects our environment for future generations.

Over the past few years, policymakers and consumers around the world have focused much of their attention on a few large technology companies and how those firms impact our world. But the technology industry is comprised of companies of all sizes creating innovative products and services focused on developing new solutions to old problems and exploring new ways of doing things. 

Since 1916, ITI members have been researching, creating and innovating to provide new products and services that help a wide array of industries and consumers. 

Innovation thrives when we have an environment for growth and development. Our member companies are producing innovations made possible by previous good policy decisions that have allowed these technologies and services to take root and thrive. 

That’s why ITI is launching a new campaign, Bridge for Innovation, to highlight how our members are helping create technologies that help provide solutions for some of society’s most pressing issues, as well as how good policies can help us create a better tomorrow. 

In our increasingly interconnected world, our members are immersed in many of today’s most complex policy discussions. ITI serves as an important convenor for policymakers and stakeholders seeking insights into technology and how good policy solutions can help address hurdles to progress.

At a critical moment when some of society’s most challenging issues are intersecting, ITI is in a unique position to provide insights into technology and policy solutions critical in addressing such issues.


The Information Technology Industry Council (ITI) is the premier advocacy and policy organization for the world’s leading innovation companies. 

Founded in 1916, ITI is an international trade association with a team of professionals on four continents. We promote public policies and industry standards that advance competition and innovation worldwide. 

Our diverse membership and expert staff provide policymakers the broadest perspective and thought leadership from technology, hardware, software, services, and related industries. 

For more information about ITI’s advocacy efforts visit our website here


Technology is a crucial part of our shared prosperity, connecting us to one another, to education, health care, and economic opportunities.

It helps drive progress and the development of timely solutions to address society’s most pressing issues. Technology depends on good policies that can make our lives better, ensure our economy is strong, and support good jobs and opportunities in which innovation can thrive.

On October 5, ITI members Barbara Humpton, CEO of Siemens Corp., and Amit Yoran, Chairman and CEO of Tenable, joined Jason Oxman, ITI’s President and CEO, for a virtual discussion on how the technology industry is working to create solutions to address pressing issues facing the country today, and policies that could have a positive impact in the future.

Listen to the podcast on Apple PodcastsGoogle Podcasts, or Spotify.


Innovation depends upon the inclusion of diverse voices and experiences across all industries. Good tech policy must prioritize diversity, equity and inclusion. 

Considerations of how policies affect all communities – including those that are underrepresented and marginalized – must be weaved into all technology priorities to help ensure a more equitable, inclusive, and fair innovation-based economy. Including more people of color, girls and women in STEM-related fields will lead to greater innovation by broadening the marketplace of ideas and bringing in new viewpoints and life experiences.

The technology industry is working to address the dire need for change and inclusion, increased support and opportunities to encourage more minorities, girls, and women to pursue and succeed in STEM careers. Companies are working with non-profits and educational institutions to develop new strategies to help close the gender gap in STEM for teachers, parents and nonprofit leaders.

Woman works in a research lab and looks into a microscope

Good policy ensures that minority communities are included in the workforce of tomorrow and supporting extending workplace protections to nontraditional workers. It means increased federal investments in Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions (MSIs) and supporting closing gender, racial, and socio-economic gaps in the STEM field to ensure that no one is left behind. That includes developing and adopting inclusive policies and technologies that increase accessibility for Americans with disabilities.