Posted on 2nd September 2009
IBM is expanding its Corporate Service Corps, which provides pro-bono business consulting to small businesses, educational institutions and non-profit organisations, in Africa, Asia and Latin America.
IBM, which has 400,000 employees worldwide, will increase the total number taking part in the scheme from 600 to 1,500 by 2010. By the end of 2009, IBM will send 52 global teams to countries including the Philippines, Tanzania, and Romania.
Teams of 8-10 employees work with local organisations and businesses for one month on projects that intersect business, technology and society. They work to develop new skills in communities to improve local conditions and foster job creation.
Stanley S. Litow, vice president of corporate citizenship and corporate affairs at IBM, said, “The Corporate Service Corps produces a triple benefit. Participants benefit via a once-in-a-lifetime, problem-solving exercise in the developing world, communities gain by obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars in pro bono expert consulting services, and IBM benefits by growing its next generation of leaders with the skills required to lead in a globally-integrated world."
