Tech giant Apple has committed more than $50 million in an effort to increase the number of minorities in the technology workforce.
The initiative, which was announced earlier this week, will partner with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund to give millions of dollars to STEM programs at various HBCUs.
“We wanted to create opportunities for minority candidates to get their first job at Apple,” said Apple Head of HR Young Smith to Fortune. “There is tremendous upside to that, and we are dogged about the fact that we can’t innovate without being diverse and inclusive.” Thurgood Marshall College Fund President Johnny Taylor told Fortune that tech companies who recruit exclusively at universities like Harvard and MIT are missing out on prime talent.
Apple is also working to create an internship program for students at HBCUs who excel within STEM programs. Though Apple execs have acknowledged that the company’s racial make-up won’t change overnight, they’re hoping that by starting in the classroom, they can confront the diversity issue head-on.