Microsoft’s charitable Vista: Co. donates $40M to area job training programs
By Jay Fitzgerald
Boston Herald General Economics Reporter
Monday, April 16, 2007
Even as Microsoft Corp. looks to expand its work force in Cambridge, the giant software company has also been quietly investing in its potential workers in Boston.
The software powerhouse has contributed tens of millions of dollars over the past four years to area tech centers that introduce youths to computers and prepare them for skilled jobs down the road.
“We need these workers, but our customers and partners also need them,” said Pamela Passman, executive vice president of global corporate affairs for Microsoft.
Since 2003, Microsoft has contributed about $250 million in cash or in-kind software to non-profit organizations that emphasize technology education and training. The donations are part of the company’s “unlimited potential” program that marks a recent shift in Microsoft’s philanthropic emphasis toward work-force training.
The Boston area, considered a high-tech stronghold, has been a big beneficiary of Microsoft’s new philanthropic strategy, netting nearly $40 million in various donations since 2003, according to a company spokesman.
The Herald recently reported that Microsoft has inked a deal to lease space in Cambridge, in what some expect will be the beginning of even greater expansion in the area for the software giant.
Today, Passman will be visiting Timothy Smith Network centers in Roxbury. Timothy Smith Networks, a nonprofit umbrella group that funds about 40 tech centers in Roxbury, has received more than $1 million from Microsoft, in the form of free software that young people and other residents can use for free.
“Ultimately, it is work-force development,” said Susan O’Connor, executive director of Timothy Smith Networks, referring to the various centers that have “state of the art” computers available for residents.
One of those tech centers is at Morgan Memorial Goodwill Industries on Harrison Avenue, where computer classes and programs are conducted.
“Today, you can’t even apply for a job without going online,” said Joanne Hilferty, chief executive of the nonprofit outfit.
Whether someone works in banking or in a warehouse, employees need to know how to use computers and other technologies, Hilferty said.
In recent years, a number of tech firms have stepped up efforts to improve technology skills of Americans.
In particular, Waltham-based Raytheon Co. has launched a major campaign to promote math and science in schools. Like Microsoft, Raytheon has acknowledged its campaign is part business planning: America needs more engineers, scientists and other tech savvy employees.
“There is a shortage of skilled workers,” said Microsoft’s Passman. “This (technology effort) helps people get going.”