Busy days with different projects and meetings this week — but a few things caught my eye today that I wanted to share around the topics of the Hispanic workforce/demographics, mentoring, and education. Enjoy!

UCLA Project Examining Latino Baby Boomers: I was speaking with a colleague earlier in the week regarding Hispanic population trends. We discussed how there’s been a lot of analysis on immigration, educational, and workforce related topics. We both agreed we’d start seeing more of the type of studies being conducted by Latinos and Econmic Security (LES) and UCLA. An excellent report which discusses the characteristics of Baby Boomer Latinos. A definite must read. Also browse around LES website to see the fine research work they do! You also might want to review the work of Dr. Fred Bonner who has written extensively on the learning attributes of Hispanic millennials.

Why Men Still Earn More than Women: Excellent piece by Harvard Business Magazine examining the reasons why men still earn more than women. The article was co-written by Herminia Ibarra one of my favorite researchers. I included a lot of her research in my doctoral work. Much of the article’s discussion centers on mentoring — which happens to be in line with my post a couple days ago. Check out the article and Google Dr. Ibarra’s work – she’s excellent at what she does.

Unlearning Teaching: Another great piece I found via Alastair Creelman, who works with net-based learning at Linnaeus University, Kalmar in south-east Sweden. He also writes the blog Corridor of Uncertainty. As an online instructor for over eight years now, I found his thoughts very much in line with what I attempt to do in my online classes. Alastair shares this entry from the original source, Will Richardson, “Learner in Chief” at Connective Learning:

“I think that’s one of the hardest shifts in thinking for teachers to make, the idea that they are no longer central to student learning simply because they are in the room. When learning value can be found in a billion different places, the teacher has to see herself as one of many nodes of learning, and she has to be willing to help students find, vet, and interact with those other nodes in ways that place value at the center of the interaction, meaning both ways. It’s not just enough to add those who bring value; we must create value in our networks as well.”

This is an excellent study by Pew Research focusing on minority college enrollment over the last few years. The news and trends are especially positive for Hispanic freshman. Why the boom? A few reasons are cited but a major reason is Hispanic high school completion rates. Data strongly suggest that the freshman college enrollment spike that occurred is closely related to the minority high school completion spike that occurred the same year. Some highlights below –with  the full report is here.

Large freshman enrollment growth was evident among the nation’s racial and ethnic minorities. Overall freshman enrollment was up 6%. Hispanic freshmen increased by 40,000 compared with 2007, a 15% increase in enrollment and the largest of any of the major racial/ethnic groups.

In short, since 2007 there has been significant growth in minority freshmen (particularly Hispanic) and there has been significant minority freshman growth in each tier of postsecondary education, including four-year colleges and universities.

In addition, the first year of the recession was a time when young Hispanics, in particular, were completing high school at record rates. According to Census Bureau surveys, the Hispanic high school completion rate reached an all-time high in October 2008 at 70%.

How much less did women make than men in their first post-MBA job – $4,600. And before you argue it’s related to starting job level or industry - a recent study controls for these factors. In short – the study demonstrates that women are simply paid less than men. Inequality.

Good article in the WSJ discussing that engineers are the highest college graduate money makers with petroleum and computer science majors making up the top two fields. A great opportunity for Hispanic college students; however; while Hispanics are entering the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) fields in greater numbers, according to the NCES, they still lag in completion rates. White students had a higher STEM bachelor’s degree completion rate than did Hispanic or Black students. According to the NSES, less than 6% of engineering graduates are represented by Hispanics.  No question that increasing the number of engineering grads is imperative to the economic sustainability of the United States. Yet, engineering educational institutions as well as employers have not been effectively developing or tapping the skills and talents of Hispanics – a still missed opportunity.

The results of a recent study by Encuesta Inc. show that Hispanics feel corporations are less engaged and involved in the Hispanic community than a few years ago. According to the results (via Hispanic PR Blog):

The findings show that Hispanics have lost confidence in major corporations’ role in their community. Even though Hispanics find it increasingly more important that major corporations be “good” corporate citizens in their community in 2009 compared to 2005 (86% in 2009 vs. 81% in 2005, on a top two box basis), they believe that the major corporations are doing remarkably less than they were five years ago (36% in 2009 vs. 12% in 2005).

The purchasing power of the Hispanic market is apparent, and results like these might have some impact on how organizations market to Hispanics; however, another question is this: how do results like this impact the recruitment of Hispanic workforce into your organization?

As some employers struggle to increase representation of the Hispanic workforce and other minorities into their organizations, potential employees of color will certainly research how organizations are giving back to their respective communities. And while corporate social responsibility reports might tout their successes, study’s like these indicate there is a definite perceptual gap between an organization’s efforts and the perceptions of a minority group.

It’s important for employers to pay attention to these results (and others like this) because it continues to confirm the perception that organizations are more interested in selling their products to a minority community than attracting them into their businesses.

Another great article by Lorelle L. Espinosa, director of policy and strategic initiatives at the Institute for Higher Education Policy, regarding what colleges and universities are responsible for graduating minority students in STEM fields. Dr. Espinosa makes an excellent point that a significant  representation of minorities in STEM careers will not occur until ALL institutions make a commitment to graduating more minorities in these fields. Good read.

Hispanics have a long history of U.S. military service. The number of Hispanics having earned the Congressional Medal of Honor has been a source of pride and distinction for the Hispanic community. In fact, the first Hispanic CMOH recipient was given to a corporal during the Civil War in the Battle of Gettysburg. According to recent military data, Hispanics have seen a dramatic increase in the number of enlisted personnel serving in all branches of the U.S. military. But despite their increasing numbers, Hispanics remain under-represented at the officer level. That’s why it was great to see this post via The Americano describing the partnership between the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Employers and the United States Armed Forces. The goal is create more opportunities for Hispanics in the military at all levels of the military through scholarships and other educational approaches.

An article in the Texas Tribune provides an excellent overview of the challenges faced by some Texas community colleges in their objective of getting their students to transfer to 4 year institutions. Certainly a lot of work to be done regarding budget, programs, and infrastructure. According to the article: “Statewide, among full-time students, black students ended up dropping out with no credential in 68 percent of cases, compared with 59 percent for Hispanics, 53 percent for whites and 46 percent for Asians.” That’s an amazing number of students “spinning their wheels” in what is supposed to be a bridge to higher education for many. This is only one state – no doubt the issue is nationwide.

An article in the New York Times today reports that from 2003 to 2008, 61 percent of black applicants and 46 percent of Mexican-American applicants were denied acceptance at all of the law schools to which they applied, compared with 34 percent of white applicants. While there are a number of issues, challenges, and cultural factors associated with these statistics, it again reminds us of how these trends have long-term implications in a variety of settings.

Particularly within the legal profession, a lack of racial and/or ethnic diversity in this important area of our society can potentially chip away the confidence people have in justice and equality in our courts. While there is a variety of research in this regard, certainly more needs to be done in a broader context to address the ethnic and racial composition of our legal industry (including federal and state courts).  The legal industry is no different than what is occurring in most other work environments.

Over the last decade, minority and women-owned businesses have constituted over 50 percent of the two million businesses created in the United States. A report out today shows that women are becoming the nation’s job-creation engine, starting small businesses and stimulating new jobs at a rate that outdistances their male counterparts and disproportionately exceeds their current contribution to U.S. employment. This report comes just after labor force statistics indicate women will be make up the majority of the U.S. workforce this year. Times are certainly changing.

According to the Small Business Administration, between 1997 and 2002, the number of Hispanic-owned firms increased by 31 percent, with Hispanics owning 6.6% of U.S. businesses. The $820 billion Hispanic market is also flexing its muscles. Hispanic spending power has made significant contributions over the last decade, especially during these tough economic times.

Women and minority business owners will  have become members of a powerful movement. These latest reports confirm that Hispanic Americans, for example, are occupationally and economically diverse. Indicators such as level of business ownership suggest a diverse, hard working, and entrepreneurial population. Yet, it is frustrating to read accounts that economic stimulus funds are disproportionately not reaching minority businesses – particularly when maximizing opportunities for minorities and women-owned businesses are in the best economic interest of everyone.