Educated Communities
Connecting students with opportunities for learning
As a company built on scientific advancement and dependent upon smart, knowledgeable employees, we know the immeasurable value of learning. That’s why we help improve education in science, technology, engineering and math for students at all grade levels. We are particularly committed to expanding opportunities for people in underserved communities. Following are just a few ways we supported education initiatives in 2010.
How we supported Educated Communities in 2010
Case Studies
United States: Experience for MBA students, expertise for nonprofits
We’re helping nonprofit organizations increase revenues, sharpen fiscal management and improve strategic planning through the Qualcomm Social Entrepreneur Internship Program administered through the Entrepreneurial Management Center at San Diego State University. The program matches talented MBA students with a team made up of senior management from a local nonprofit, a San Diego State faculty member and a volunteer Qualcomm mentor. Students work with the team to identify a strategic objective, perform analysis and develop recommendations that can be readily implemented. Since 1999, 224 business-school interns have worked on 250 projects for 202 nonprofits. WebCompass, a similar program which began in 2008, tasks teams of students with redesigning a nonprofit organization’s website. As a result, nonprofits see increased donations, volunteering and community support.
China: Equipping students with essential technology
In 2010, we helped provide classroom equipment to two Beijing schools. Our gift to Beijing Xingzhi Experimental School helped purchase laptops, projectors and other learning aids. And our donation to Lizhi Rehabilitation Kindergarten, which serves developmentally disabled children, helped purchase audio-visual equipment and equip a special multisensory training room. Qualcomm employees also volunteered their time and skills at both schools to enhance our relationships with these organizations and to benefit the students they serve.
United Kingdom: Career exploration workshop for students
Our London office joined the East London Business Alliance in sponsoring a workshop created to teach students ages 13 and 14 about nontraditional careers. Students began the day by looking at market research that revealed insights about their generation’s relationship to mobile technology; then they split into three teams and produced video ads for their ideal mobile phones. The result? A memorable glimpse into the mobile industry and the fields of advertising and marketing.
India: A science fair in Bangalore
In collaboration with the Shikshana Foundation in Kanakpura, Bangalore, QCares Bangalore hosted a science fair that challenged students to showcase experiments based on scientific principles. Seventeen student teams presented experiments. They built models, explained the concepts underlying them and answered questions from a panel of judges, which included three Qualcomm employees. The winning projects were a satellite and rocket launcher, an energy-efficient home and a display on hydro energy. Winners received science books in Kannada and English to take back to their schools.
Israel: Afterschool enrichment
Qualcomm employees in Haifa joined several neighboring high-tech companies in funding afterschool enrichment classes for students in the city of Tirat Carmel. Classes included juggling, aviation, thinking games and more. Professional instructors led the classes with help from Qualcomm volunteers. Kids liked the classes because they were fun; parents liked that their children did something constructive after school.