IBM extends Corporate Service Corps initiative

IBM’s breakthrough corporate citizenship initiative, dubbed the Corporate Service Corps, is entering into new countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America to provide small businesses, educational institutions and non profit organizations with sophisticated business consulting and skills development aimed at improving local conditions and foster job creation.

IBM announced an expansion of its program, a corporate version of the Peace Corps now in its second year, which sends teams of between eight and ten of its top employees from around the world with skills in technology, consulting, research, marketing and finance to key emerging markets for
one month.

The employees work with local organizations and businesses on projects that intersect business, technology and society. In addition to the new areas being targeted, IBM is expanding the number of employees participating in the program in various regions from 600 to 1 500
employees by 2010.

The company said it would begin deploying teams to new countries including Nigeria, Egypt as well as returning to previous sites in other regions. By the end of 2009, IBM will have sent 52 global teams to
countries including Philippines, Vietnam, China, Malaysia, Brazil, Tanzania, Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Egypt, Romania and Turkey.

“The Corporate Service Corps produces a triple benefit. Participants benefit via a once-in-a-life-time, 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,” said Stanley Litow, Vice President of Corporate Citizenship and Corporate Affairs, IBM.

ITNewsAfrica