Spectrum Scholars: A Two-Year Scholarship and Professional Development Initiative

One of Charter’s greatest resources as a company is our highly-skilled, diverse workforce, who keep our customers connected to the tools, resources, news and entertainment that matter most. Our company has a strong commitment to diversity and we are always working to recruit candidates from diverse backgrounds. That’s why Charter recently announced a new program for college juniors called Spectrum Scholars that will introduce students to the many different career opportunities within our company and further deepen our connections across the communities we serve. 

Spectrum Scholars is a two-year scholarship and professional development initiative launched in collaboration with our national nonprofit partners, The American Indian College Fund, OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates, UNCF, and Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE). The program will help support the needs and aspirations of underrepresented students through a combination of scholarships, mentorships, and opportunities to explore internships at Charter. 

Incorporating professional development was an important aspect of this program for us. In a study featured in Harvard Business Review, both mentorship programs and college recruitment programs targeting women and minorities were found to have a significant effect in increasing diversity among managers.

• Five years after a company implements a college recruitment program targeting female employees, the share of white women, black women, Hispanic women, and Asian-American women in its management rises by about 10%, on average. 
• A program focused on minority recruitment increases the proportion of black male managers by 8% and black female managers by 9%.
• Mentoring programs make companies’ managerial echelons significantly more diverse: On average they boost the representation of black, Hispanic, and Asian-American women, and Hispanic and Asian-American men, by 9% to 24%. In industries where plenty of college-educated nonmanagers are eligible to move up, like chemicals and electronics, mentoring programs also increase the ranks of white women and black men by 10% or more.

From our workforce and suppliers to the products and services, Charter is committed to reflecting the vibrant diversity of the communities we serve. Spectrum Scholars is an exciting addition to these efforts and we look forward to engaging students from across the country while introducing them to the many career options within Charter.