NBCUniversal’s new initiative reiterates its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The NBCUniversal News Group has launched NBCU Academy which is a new, creative, multiplatform journalism training and development program geared toward four-year university and community college students.

Through education, online programming, and on-campus training, the program will offer a curated onsite curriculum designed for a hands-on learning experience with world-class NBCU News Group journalists, scholarships, and funding for accredited journalism programs.

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Comcast and NBCU News Group aim to put action behind their commitment to DEI so the multi-year partnership will have 17 academic partners which include Hispanic-Serving Institutions, colleges with significant Latino, Asian, Black, Indigenous and tribal populations along with Historically Black Colleges and Universities.

“Creating an inclusive culture for journalism that represents the communities we serve is at the very core of what we do,” shared NBCU News Group Chairman, Cesar Conde. “Through NBCU Academy, we have the opportunity to widen our extraordinary legacy by building on-ramps for a talented generation of journalists and storytellings who — for so long– may have been overlooked.”

Investing a total of $6.5 million to the initiative, which includes scholarships worth $3.5 million, NBCU Academy aims to reach students from underrepresented groups which includes diverse racial, ethnic, sexual orientation, ability, economic, and geographic backgrounds.

While the academy has plans to invest dollars into the program, they also plan to provide equipment along with collaborating with professors to develop seminar courses. Executives and management from production and editorial teams across NBC News, CNBC, Telemundo, and MSNBC along with NBCU News Group journalists will participate as guest lecturers to provide real-world insight and mentorship to participating students.

HBCU Academic partners for the NBCU Academy include Clark Atlanta University, Xavier University of Louisiana, Hampton University, North Carolina University, Morgan State University, and Claflin University.

NBCU Academy follows Comcast NBCUniversal’s announcement of a multi-year $100 million commitment in June 2020 which is now a part of that pledge.

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