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Texas Education Agency Honors IBM With Employers for Education Excellence Award
(Marketwire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) ARMONK, NY, November 21 / MARKET WIRE/ --
IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that it has
received an Employers for Education Excellence (EEE) Award from the Texas
Education Agency (TEA), which recognized IBM for corporate policies and
volunteer programs that help benefit public schools in Texas.
TEA credited IBM for its flexible work/life balance policies, which
encourage employees to be active supporters in schools where their children
attend and where they can volunteer, and for a number of programs and
initiatives specifically dedicated to improving public education.
"Improving public schools has long been IBM's top social priority, so we
are very honored to be recognized by the Texas Education Agency with this
award," said Tony Befi, IBM's senior state executive for Texas. "IBM is
proud to be a leader when it comes to creating innovative programs
targeting public education. Our culture is one that encourages employees
to balance work commitments with school, family and community obligations."
This is the first year for the EEE Awards, which are given in three
categories -- Gold, Silver and Bronze. IBM was presented with a Gold
Award. Winners in the Gold Award category have implemented policies that
encourage and support employees who attend parent-teacher conferences, who
implement policies to encourage employees to volunteer in school
activities, and who support employees who participate in student mentoring
programs.
"This award is just one way of saying thank you to companies and
organizations who have demonstrated -- in a very tangible way -- a strong
commitment to public education," said Dr. Don McLeroy, chair of the Texas
State Board of Education. "Educating the next generation of leaders is an
enormous undertaking, and we all share some responsibility for contributing
to this important effort. These leaders have stepped up to the challenge
and I am proud that the board is honoring them for their support."
Among the many initiatives for which IBM was recognized is Transition to
Teaching (T2T), an innovative program that allows employees to take up to
three years to earn a teacher certification. IBM reimburses employees up
to $15,000 to cover course expenses and a leave of absence during a
classroom student-teaching internship. At the end of the three years, the
employee seeks a teaching job and, upon receiving a teaching contract,
leaves the company to become a teacher.
The program, open to any IBM employee with at least 10 years of IBM work
experience and a technical degree, is designed to help meet the need for
more math and science teachers, particularly with technical backgrounds, as
well as to assist seasoned employees who wish to make a career change to
pursue teaching. Approximately 100 IBM employees around the U.S., and six
in Texas, are participating in the program.
IBM employees are also strongly encouraged to pursue community
volunteerism, and a major vehicle for that is the IBM On Demand Community,
which allows employees and retirees to track their volunteer hours online.
If volunteers reach a minimum required threshold -- at least eight hours a
month for at least five months at a particular school or non-profit
organization -- they obtain a Community Grant of up to $1,000 in cash or up
to $7,500 in technology, such as PCs, laptops, servers, or early childhood
education computers.
On Demand Community also includes a number of training modules to help
prepare volunteers. Examples of training topics include mentoring
students, promoting literacy, conducting science experiments with students,
engineering robots for kids, and introducing young children to technology.
Another volunteering resource IBM provides employees is MentorPlace, a web
site that facilitates student mentoring. MentorPlace allows employees to
exchange email with students and also provides teachers more than a dozen
learning modules. IBM conducts MentorPlace in several schools in the
Dallas and Austin Independent School Districts.
IBM and Texas
Since 1932, Texas has been home to IBM operations and technology
innovation. Today, IBM is one of the 25 largest employers in the state,
according to the Texas Workforce Commission.
With major offices in Austin, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio, and 11,600
employees statewide, Texas represents IBM's third largest employee presence
in the U.S. These employees play an active role in Texas communities,
donating more than 152,000 volunteer hours and approximately $4 million in
cash and technology in 2007.
IBM's Austin site, which celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2007, is one of
the company's largest, with 6,200 employees representing 30 business
divisions. Home to much of the company's processor design, hardware and
software development, and a research lab, Austin is one of IBM's most
important technology centers. While Austin makes up less than two percent
of IBM's worldwide population, it represents 10 percent of the company's
technical leadership. In 2007, for the fifth year in a row, the Austin
site contributed more U.S. patents than any other IBM location. Five of
IBM's top inventors call Austin home.
For more information on IBM's community and education initiatives, visit
http://www.ibm.com/ibm/ibmgives/
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Media Contact:
Jeff Tieszen
IBM Media Relations
(512) 286-2279jtieszen@us.ibm.com
Copyright ? 2008 Marketwire
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