CIEE Named Finalist in the 2024 Global Youth Travel Awards for Best DEI Initiative

CIEE is proud to share that we have been named a finalist in the 2024 Global Youth Travel Awards category of Best DEI Initiative! 

We are grateful to be recognized for our efforts to support successful recruitment and retention of staff from diverse backgrounds  and look forward to attending the awards ceremony on the final evening of the World Youth and Student Travel (WYSTC) Conference.

In summer 2020, CIEE pledged to do more as an organization to overcome systemic racism and injustice. One of our key objectives was to have a staff that represents the diversity of the communities in which we live and work, as well as the students we serve. 

CIEE pledged to expand our U.S.-based workforce to include at least 30% people of color by 2026 and at least 50% people of color by 2031. We have already achieved the first milestone ahead of schedule, with a current U.S. employee population that is 36% racially diverse (compared to 13% pre-pandemic).

Among other efforts, CIEE has implemented two programs to nurture a diverse workforce:

Diversity Recruitment & Unconscious Bias Training for all Hiring Managers 

Since 2022, we have offered the training course multiple times a year to ensure newly hired or promoted managers are captured. In the training, managers are helped to understand that one of the biggest barriers to diversity recruiting is that no one believes they are biased. We ask hiring managers to always operate under the assumption that everyone has some unavoidable bias, and we provide managers with tips and resources to mitigate that bias. 

Hiring managers and recruiters are coached to entertain diverse (but applicable) backgrounds whenever possible, to be mindful of potential entry barriers candidates might have encountered in pursuing a career in the field of international education and exchange. 

Global Mentorship Program

In order to shape an organizational culture that is welcoming and inclusive of all people from all backgrounds, CIEE has a mentorship program as part of onboarding for new employees. The program consisting of four sessions led by tenured CIEE staff during which new employees are given dedicated time with a mentor to learn about CIEE’s mission & values, learn about growth opportunities across the organization, and connect with people they might not have otherwise encountered.