WASHINGTON – The Organization for International Investment (OFII) announced Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), part of the Tata Group, as its annual Corporate Social Responsibility Award winner.
“Not only do international companies like TCS provide high-quality jobs for America’s workforce, they reinvest their profits and mobilize their expertise into strengthening communities across the country,” said Nancy McLernon, president and CEO of OFII. “More than half a million students are better prepared for the 21st century economy because of the significant investment TCS is making into our educational system. They are a perfect example of how international companies benefit America’s economy and workforce.”
TCS is a leading global IT services, consulting and business solutions organization. The company realized that by 2020, there will be one million more computer science and technology jobs in the United States than graduates qualified to fill those jobs. Additionally, less than 25 percent of U.S. schools incorporate computer science into their curriculum.
To address this gap, TCS partnered with Discovery Education to develop the Ignite My Future in School (IMFIS) initiative, a platform for high-quality professional development that helps teachers to integrate soft skills and hard STEM skills into lesson plans. To date, TCS has reached over 9,000 teachers and nearly 550,000 students, with more than 70 percent of them living in under-resourced school districts across all 50 U.S. states.
The CSR Award, which was presented at OFII’s Annual Dinner in Washington last night, showcases the significant contributions that international companies make to local U.S. communities. Many international companies offer their employees the opportunity to volunteer and help direct the company’s corporate social responsibility efforts. Finalists for this year’s award included several noteworthy initiatives:
• Recognizing that this past year has brought some of the most destructive wildfires our country has faced, Anheuser-Busch committed to donating over one million cans of water to volunteer firefighters in 2019. The donation supported the efforts of these first responders across the country and provided critical hydration to those who are volunteering to put their lives on the line.
• Beginning in 2017, BASF Michigan employees at all levels devoted their time and talents to renovating the former Durfee Middle School and surrounding city blocks. Children and families can now safely access the Community Center and the neighboring schools, and Life Remodeled reported that neighborhood crime decreased in 10 out of the 11 categories, including 19 percent less burglary. Additionally, non-profit and for-profit organizations now occupy 75 percent of the Durfee building and they are already providing resources and new opportunities to area residents.
• DSM has developed a zero-waste production facility in Nebraska that produces algal oil rich in the two essential omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA through large scale fermentation, which enables partners along the value chain to become independent from wild caught fish and meet the growing demand for animal protein responsibly.
• Enel Green Power utilized its Aurora Solar Project to partner with the U.S. Department of Energy to assess how native vegetation management programs at utility-scale solar sites can deliver long-term environmental and soil quality benefits, carbon storage, increase pollinator insect habitat and improve overall solar performance.
OFII applauds the ongoing efforts by these and other OFII member companies to engage with their communities through innovative programming that meets local needs.
Representing the U.S. operations of many of the world's leading international companies, OFII ensures that policymakers at the federal, state and local level understand the critical role that foreign direct investment (FDI) plays in America’s economy. OFII advocates for fair, non-discriminatory treatment of foreign-based companies and promotes policies that will encourage them to establish U.S. operations, which in turn increases American employment and U.S. economic growth.
###