Kate Maloney on Building America’s AI Ready Workforce

Jeff Kavanaugh:

I'm Jeff Kavanaugh here at the Infosys Connect Conference in Los Angeles. Here with Kate Maloney. Great to see you, Kate.

Kate Maloney:

Thanks for having me.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Yes, Kate leads the Infosys Foundation USA and always lovely to speak. And today we'll talk about unlocking value from AI in a foundational kind of way. First of all, what are you seeing now with our foundation and helping learners especially learn AI?

Kate Maloney:

Thank you for asking the question. We've been working historically with the K-12 population. So that was teachers and students. But now we are evolving to looking at the talent needs of industry and how we get them AI ready. So we've been...

Jeff Kavanaugh:

These are college age, first job, older workers?

Kate Maloney:

The whole spectrum. Everything. So we've added a new pillar to our mission, which is workforce readiness, talent development.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Honestly, it's been missing but I understood you had to build a good base first.

Kate Maloney:

We had to build a base and I feel like the foundation's work has evolved with where the United States has been. Ten years ago when we were started, there was limited exposure to computer science education. Now we've made some leaps and bounds, and now as we know, from working with our clients, they are all focused on AI ready talent, the skill sets people are coming in with, and then how they're going to keep reskilling them once they're hired. And that's the lane we're pushing into. So I've told leadership at Infosys it might take a second for us to start to see the results. But what we are ambitiously trying to do is change lives through economic mobility, jobs, apprenticeships, micro internships, really be in this immediate, really learning to career spectrum. So we hold on a little bit to the K-12. We're still working with teachers because they are like the power force in the US and they are helping us reach students and inspire them at a young age. But then we really are trying to show impact in metrics that are around job creation.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Well that's exciting. Before we leave that one, I just want to highlight you had this goal of reaching ten million learners. Have you made that yet?

Kate Maloney:

Okay, so like true to Infosys style, they changed the number and now it's eighteen million learners globally. So fortunately I don't have to do it all in the US, but globally Infosys has...

Jeff Kavanaugh:

You're still reaching a lot of people.

Kate Maloney:

We are, we are reaching millions.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

That's exciting. And you know what? The only good thing that came out of COVID I think was all the impact that your work was able to do for all these schools and people who were staying home.

Kate Maloney:

Well, thank you for that. We did have to pivot from many things in person, like everyone, to virtual. We just finished the year and we can claim 1.2 million students reached by our work and over 16,000 teachers. So I feel like that's an impressive number for a foundation, but it speaks to Infosys and the value they give to lifelong learning and human capital development. So we are reaching those millions and thousand metrics each year and really trying to be transformational and we're getting ready this summer. One of our best programs is an institute that we run and this will be our ninth year.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Pathfinders?

Kate Maloney:

The Pathfinder Summer Institute. Everyone knows us for Infosys Springboard, which I'd love to tell you about. But our Pathfinders Institute this summer will have sixteen hundred teachers from across the US.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

So you're teaching those that teach others?

Kate Maloney:

We are teaching those who are ready to bring computer science and AI into the classroom. I mean there are still pockets of the US which are reticent to bringing AI into student classrooms and with teachers, but we are advocates of being inspired by what AI can do. So we are trying to advocate for those barriers to come down and that's what we'll be doing June through August.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

I was emphasizing that because as you look towards workforce readiness, these two aspects of the foundation, reaching millions of learners in the US and other places as far as with the platforms, like Springboard and our learning systems, and the in-person helping teachers teach better. What better way to then move up to the next level with these more adult learners?

Kate Maloney:

And it's true. I know when leadership from Infosys, those who support me and the work that we do, want to be so transformational with those who are pursuing those first jobs, or they're going to be disrupted and need to find a different job, or perhaps they were in military service and they're pursuing a civilian job. We can't abandon what's happening in the classrooms, K-12, and community colleges. Otherwise...

Jeff Kavanaugh:

It's a pipeline. It's a talent pipeline.

Kate Maloney:

It's a pipeline. Yeah. And so that full spectrum, we are probably shifting the priority and the balance a little bit since K-12 has evolved enough, and there are many actors there, and we're trying to push ahead along with many of our clients who are facing the same work, same challenge. We're also trying to bring opportunities for people who might be studying cybersecurity or data science or AI. We're trying to bring them into Infosys with our clients, give them some mentorship, give them a real life challenge. We just finished one with a large energy company and we said the utility grid is under a cyberattack. What would you do using AI to find solutions to mitigate what has happened? And these community college students were out of this world with their ideas. And out of the program, two got job offers just from having gone through the program. So in both ambitious and humble ways, we're trying to work across government, nonprofit, industry, academia to really make a difference.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

I'm glad you brought up the community colleges because there's such an important link between the local and you know things we hear, you know, AI and global. One of the areas I'm really interested in along these lines is almost building on the apprentice model in the area of physical AI. Because you have those electricians and plumbers, basically people doing something physical, construction, and yet now you're adding AI and other job skills to it. Can you comment at all about some of the things we're doing?

Kate Maloney:

Well, that's an area we're looking to move into. One of our partners outside of Washington, DC was working with that exact population and recognizing they needed to upskill. This new year, which we've just kicked off a few weeks ago, we're trying to find the nonprofit partners who are at the most local level working with those populations. So we keep bringing them Springboard.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Yeah.

Kate Maloney:

They're back to Infosys Springboard, as a..

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Online learning program.

Kate Maloney:

It is.

Kate Maloney:

It's a platform that we say it's next gen, it's absolutely no cost.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Tailored to individuals.

Kate Maloney:

Tailored, we have microsites that are developed for particular populations.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

White labeled.

Kate Maloney:

Yeah. And we can do yes. I love having internal advocates or ambassadors of our work. So if we can shape individual curated content. Right now there are 13,000 offerings. That's super intimidating to someone. So we're trying to pull it's like off the digital shelf to have some content they can get started with, and once they can show a certificate of completion and boast that on LinkedIn, which is great for us as well as them, then that platform becomes something in their pocket and they can keep upskilling. Our partner Skillsoft, who gives us the majority of the content that's there, they are also updating on a monthly basis the offerings. So we are staying current with evolution of Gen AI.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

That's what's so important because universities struggle to have that kind of evolution.

Kate Maloney:

So in little, you know, small ways, like I say, we're trying to add or amplify what community colleges are doing. But having these, they're almost like mini internships. They're maybe six to eight weeks at a time, but they are actual challenges faced by industry that community college students can then go talk about for a job interview or a placement.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

They're projects, I call them a bull on the resume. It's a line item, yeah.

Kate Maloney:

They are, and they will say being able to just give that one example can change the trajectory of their opportunity. They don't all have, many are first generation families, and they don't have the social capital to call someone to open a door to get a fancy introduction.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Nor the experiences either. And besides, the longer internships, even for those going to these good schools, I have a nephew. He's in the second or third year of aerospace engineering. And the line for some of the good internships, it's not till he's a junior before he even gets one. And he does have the social capital.

Kate Maloney:

And there's that and also I think about the profile of the community college learner. They have a job and they're learning and they have families. So they can't necessarily go off the grid for months at a time. These little micro moments also leverage the talent of Infoscions. We're always thinking about how do we bring the best of Infosys to bear and it's all of our employees. So, we're also trying to match those who want to volunteer with opportunities that use their skills.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

I know I'm a little biased, but I think the volunteer spirit within Infosys employees, it's pretty amazing. They really want to help others.

Kate Maloney:

I have a booth here today and the majority of people come over and they say, How do I get involved? How do I give back? Depends on the time of the fiscal year when they can. If we are reporting end of the quarter or they are focused on an important client deliverable, that comes first. But most we have a good group of CSR champions who are constantly keeping the pipeline of opportunity together, and we really are trying to do these beyond business partnerships with our clients. Again, it's leveraging what we both do well and giving back together.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Especially on a local office basis.

Kate Maloney:

A local office where we have our largest presence East Coast to West.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

And Dallas.

Kate Maloney:

And Dallas and central.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Kate Maloney:

Texas is really where we're wanting to lean in. There are connections with universities, hyper local organizations.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Being in that office, there's a lot of opportunity for sure.

Kate Maloney:

Well, I have to tip my hat. I do have someone on my team. Her name is Beth Coleman. She's the head of employee volunteering. And she is the engine and the driver with James and others.

Kate Maloney:

So we've upped our numbers. We just finished National Volunteer Month and Richardson won. It was a competition, by the way.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Another Jeff on the Knowledge Institute team I think was a big part of that too.

Kate Maloney:

Okay. Yes, we have partnerships across the company and I've tried to make that value that we live, that we are working with iCETS, we're working with the Knowledge Institute, we're working with a little bit on the recruiting side, all of the verticals. and so we're not just an island trying to do good, but.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

oh, you're integrated.

Kate Maloney:

You definitely integrated. The company.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

As you look in the next six months or so, you know, with the second month, maybe the fiscal year, six to nine months, what is it that you hope to accomplish and that people out there, if they want to get involved either with the foundation or with their own foundation at their company, what is something that you recommend?

Kate Maloney:

Well, inside I tell our client service delivery teams to just be aware of who your clients are beyond the needs that may sit with the CIO or CTO office. See what the CEOs of our clients are talking about. We have our own purpose statement outside of this room. Each company has a purpose statement. They have ESG strategies. They have ways that they are looking to be known, like their DNA. So know your clients. Make sure you know ours and if you can be a bridge between the two. It's a way to deepen connections with our client. That may not be an immediate sales hit, but the ripple effect is that our foundation is helping Infosys be known for what the founders believed in way back in 1981, which was lifelong learning, human capital development, problem solving, innovation. And I want our foundation to be seen as a contributor...

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Absolutely.

Kate Maloney:

...to that bigger story.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Great.

Kate Maloney:

So, yeah, we have a lot in the AI era to tackle, and probably as I'm moving into this workforce readiness space, we'll see more transformation or conversion from what people are learning to how it's changing what their job opportunities become. So if we start to see those metrics go up, I think it's a new area of success for us and for Infosys.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Well you know a lot of people talk about keeping humans first, humans in the loop and all that, but I can't think of another group that's actually putting humans in the center as you're thinking about how AI will transform things.

Kate Maloney:

Yes, we are the ultimate human centered design unit of the company.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

For the United States.

Kate Maloney:

and for the US, we'll go big. We'll go big

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Absolutely.

Kate Maloney:

So yeah, that's the ambition for the next year and really keeping pace with the technology so that we are opening doors especially for those who are most underrepresented.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

And helping them stay relevant.

Kate Maloney:

Helping them stay relevant. So classrooms have to stay relevant, community colleges have to have connection to industry and us keeping our doors open. As many as we can invite into our Infosys spaces and also push out Infoscions.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Sorry to interrupt. You can think you can be a mentor, but just being an example, it gives them someone to look to. Okay, this is how it works.

Kate Maloney:

Some of the greatest moments of inspiration have come when we're doing those connections. And we're trying to do more in person. There's plenty that's virtual, but I think even walking in the doors of an Infosys office, even in Texas, you see young people or community college talent start to think differently about their own futures. They get exposed to our living labs. We have one of those we developed for accessibility and inclusion that I like to tout. It's technically sitting in Indianapolis, but there are pieces of it that we can bring to other hubs and I think those values that Infosys stands for start to permeate the foundation's work and we want to just be known for being contributory to this space.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

I think you're definitely turning that positive flywheel of humanity within the company. So thank you so much for your time.

Kate Maloney:

Oh, thanks for having me.

Jeff Kavanaugh:

Thanks, Kate. Always a pleasure.

Kate Maloney:

Alright, thank you.

I'm Jeff Kavanaugh. Till next time, keep learning and keep sharing.