TCS’ Ignite My Future in School Milestone Proves Importance of Goal Setting

Goal setting has always been a priority of mine, especially when it comes to business. By regularly tracking progress with my teams, we ensure we’re getting better every day by meeting our KPIs and acknowledging what needs to be done in order to achieve our business objectives. Setting goals allows us as individuals, and teams to remain accountable, motivated, and inspired to strive for more and be better.

 TCS has always been committed to being a purpose-driven enterprise, which is why, in 2017, our CSR team set a goal for our Ignite My Future in School (IMFIS) program to reach 1 million U.S. K-12 students over the course of five years. One year ahead of schedule, I’m proud to share we have surpassed that goal!

Our IMFIS program was created in 2017 in partnership with Discovery Education with the intention of empowering educators with professional development and a curriculum focused on developing computational thinking skills, which can help students solve real-life problems.

 To-date, the program has reached 1.1 million students and nearly 20,000 teachers across 353 school districts in all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia.

 With most schools pivoting to online learning in the wake of COVID-19, TCS quickly made the decision to move the IMFIS program to a fully virtual format. This allowed us to continue to provide high-quality digital content to educators and students amid the pandemic.

Less than half of U.S. high schools teach computer science, despite computing occupations make up 67 percent of all projected new jobs in STEM fields. To address this skills gap and the shortage of women in STEM, TCS’ IMFIS program aims to directly support disconnected and marginalized students in the U.S. and abroad. In response to a growing global interest in computational thinking, our virtual resources have been accessed by educators in more than 70 countries.

 IMFIS really wouldn’t be what it is today without our passionate educators who are so committed to helping students achieve their goals. To enhance the student experience, both virtually and in-person, 246 teachers from around the world created the IMFIS Learning Leaders Network, a community of like-minded educators who collaborate to share ideas, successes and ways to improve. I am consistently impressed by their dedication to their work.

 The immeasurable impact of the IMFIS program is best showcased by our annual Ignite Innovation Student Challenge. Students are challenged to create a digital solution that solves a problem in their own community, from food security, wildfire detection to opioid addiction. It is inspiring to see the next generation use computational thinking to better their communities.

 At TCS, we believe businesses exist to benefit the greater community, to create a lasting impact where we work and live. I’m proud of the impact our Ignite My Future in School program has had thus far and will no doubt continue to have in the future.

 If TCS can play a role in enabling students to create groundbreaking innovations that will change our world for the better, then that is when we will know that we have truly achieved our goal.