Akamai Technologies Joins Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council’s Tech Compact for Social Justice
State's Largest Technology Group Requires Members to Commit to Measurable Race Parity Targets
Akamai Technologies, the intelligent edge platform for securing and delivering digital experiences, announced that it has joined The Massachusetts Technology Leadership Council (“MassTLC”) Tech Compact for Social Justice. As one of the 62 Massachusetts technology company signatories, Akamai commits to make change towards racial equality in its organization. Companies sign on to honor at least three of 12 measurable initiatives.
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“Akamai realizes being inclusive is not only the right thing to do — it just makes good business sense,” said Anthony Williams, executive vice president and chief human resources officer, Akamai Technologies. “Fostering real and lasting change requires sustained commitment over years. While we have made strides, we recognize we need to do more to hire Black and “Latinx” employees. We hope that by joining forces with like-minded companies we can propel our efforts exponentially.”
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Akamai believes that an inclusive culture fosters diversity of thought which translates into an innovative and collaborative environment. The company has been on a multi-year journey to live out its values through an inclusive workplace culture built upon respect for every individual. Programs aimed at bringing about equality include:
- Akamai Technical Academy is a six-month, 40 hours a week paid training program taught virtually through Akamai offices around the world. It is designed to educate diverse talent (women, ethnic minorities and veterans) who are interested in a career in technology but may not have previous experience or education in STEM related fields. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates are ready to work for Akamai for a contract period. If the graduate excels during the contract timeframe, Akamai can offer conversion to a full-time employee. To date, Akamai has converted over 100 program participants in our Cambridge, Costa Rica and Krakow offices.
- The Akamai Foundation is dedicated to encouraging the next generation of technology innovators by supporting STEM education, with a focus on the pursuit of excellence in mathematics in grades K-12. The Foundation’s global grants focus on equal access to quality STEM education by supporting programs designed to attract more diversity to the technology industry particularly from traditionally underserved populations.
- Employee Resource Groups raise awareness of diversity and inclusion across Akamai. Groups help augment Akamai talent recruitment efforts by partnering with diverse professional organizations, act as a channel for outreach to benefit our diverse population, and provide support for the development of Akamai employees. There are groups for those with disabilities, women, parents, South Asian, East Asian, LGBT, African American, Black, Hispanic, Latin American, or other racial and ethnic groups and military veteran employees. Nearly 20% of all employees are in at least one group.
- Supplier Diversity Program seeks to develop mutually beneficial and successful partnerships with small businesses including companies owned by women, minorities, veterans, people who are socially and economically disadvantaged, or have disabilities. We aim to maintain diversity in our procurement process by providing opportunities to, and developing strong relationships with, talented small business suppliers that can offer quality products and services, excellent customer service and competitive pricing.
The Tech Compact is part of MassTLC’s 2030 Challenge to the technology community to double the participation of the state’s Black and “Latinx” workers – currently at 5% and 7% respectively – by the end of the decade.
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