How to Build Better Learning Machines

As a 25+ year veteran of education technology, Elliott Levine has seen a lot of change. In his new role with Qualcomm, he has the opportunity to affect more change than ever before. In this episode of EdTech Today, Levine outlines the challenges that lie ahead for post-pandemic issues and, more importantly, the solution to meet those challenges.

One aspect of his efforts include Qualcomm Wireless Reach, a program that brings advanced wireless technologies to underserved communities globally. Wireless Reach enriches people’s lives through programs that strengthen economic and social development. Since 2006, Wireless Reach has impacted more than 20 million people.

“As we look forward, we have established 2025 quantitative targets and are focused on building a more diverse workforce, being a responsible corporate citizen, integrating sustainability into every aspect of our business and using the Company’s breakthrough technologies to transform industries, help build a more resilient economy, and catalyze social change for billions of people across the globe” – Steve Mollenkopf

Education is a key driver for growth, economic development and the advancement of societies. Wireless technologies can bring high-quality education to all communities, regardless of income status or location. Wireless Reach supports the potential of “always on, always connected” mobile devices to dramatically improve teaching and learning.

The Qualcomm Wireless Reach Initiative is part of the corporation’s 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report, which reports on the Company’s environmental, social and governance (ESG) performance in 2020. The report notes the Company has met or exceeded its 2020 goals and unveils 2025 Corporate Responsibility targets which will serve to help drive progress towards the Company’s 2030 vision and continue to advance in key ESG areas, including: diversity and inclusion; purposeful innovation; STEM education; supply chain management, greenhouse gas emissions reduction; and product power efficiency.

“We have had many successes over the last year despite the unforeseen challenges of 2020.  As we continue to work toward our 2030 Vision, I am proud to report we successfully met or exceeded our 2020 corporate responsibility goals,” said Steve Mollenkopf, Chief Executive Officer, Qualcomm Incorporated. “As we look forward, we have established 2025 quantitative targets and are focused on building a more diverse workforce, being a responsible corporate citizen, integrating sustainability into every aspect of our business and using the Company’s breakthrough technologies to transform industries, help build a more resilient economy, and catalyze social change for billions of people across the globe.”

Qualcomm’s corporate responsibility priorities include four areas where the Company believes it can make the greatest impact — Purposeful Innovation, STEM Education, Responsible Business and Our People.

The 2020 Corporate Responsibility Report details the progress made to achieve Qualcomm’s 2020 goals along. Some of the key 2020 highlights include:

• In line with its commitment to promoting equity across the Company and industry, over the past two years, Qualcomm increased female engineering representation by 17 percent worldwide, and in the United States have increased representation of engineers in racial and ethnic groups historically underrepresented in the technology sector by 12 percent.
• The employee perception of Qualcomm as an inclusive workplace has increased by 10 percent since FY19, as indicated by our diversity survey results.
• Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. launched its Small Business Accelerator program designed to help 33 small businesses participate in the global transition to a mobile-first digital work environment in order to thrive in today’s business climate and be set-up for resiliency and success in the long-term. The program provided Qualcomm Technologies solutions, collaboration tools and technical and integration support so that the selected businesses were able to maintain operations through the ongoing global pandemic.
• To better address the climate-related risks and opportunities across the Company, in 2020, Qualcomm conducted its first climate scenario analysis and has also included Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) and Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) indices in the report.

Also included in the report are our 2025 goals, which are steps to the 2030 Vision which is aligned with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs).  “In the year ahead, we will start working toward achieving our newly launched 2025 corporate responsibility targets, prioritizing environment, diversity and inclusion, and reporting,” said Akash Palkhiwala, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Qualcomm Incorporated.  “Among these, we will continue to address and improve our environmental performance through greenhouse gas reduction strategies, reduce power consumption, and work to build a more diverse workforce.”

To learn more about Qualcomm’s 2025 goals and ESG performance in 2020, access the full report here.

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