The Obstacle
The healthcare industry is undergoing rapid transformation, driven by advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, digital health, and biomedical technologies. Yet even as innovation accelerates, the sector faces a significant workforce challenge. By 2030, global healthcare systems are projected to face a shortage of 11 million workers. For the health tech industry, which focuses on applying technology to improve health outcomes, this crisis is exacerbated by the tech skills gap, with 74% of employers worldwide reporting a shortage of qualified talent.
At the same time, the nature of work itself is evolving rapidly. Today, 65% of students are expected to work in jobs that do not yet exist, meaning the skills required for many future roles are still emerging.
Access to the education and career pathways needed for these roles, however, remains uneven. Students from low-income households and underserved communities often face structural barriers, including limited exposure to STEM careers, fewer educational resources, and restricted access to professional networks.
For the Medtronic Foundation, these trends highlighted both a challenge and an opportunity. While social impact has long been embedded in Medtronic’s mission, the Foundation sought a more focused approach that could address systemic barriers while supporting the future workforce needs of the healthcare industry.
A key question was where philanthropic investments could have the greatest long-term impact. Corporate philanthropy often spreads resources across multiple initiatives, which can limit the potential for meaningful, scalable change.
A lot of philanthropy spreads money across many initiatives. What we wanted to grow were oak trees – programs with longevity that create enduring impact.” — Dr. Sally Saba, Global Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer and President, Medtronic Foundation
Our Approach
To translate its ambition into a focused strategy, the Medtronic Foundation partnered with BCG to develop a scalable impact platform.
The engagement began with a strategic diagnostic to identify where the Foundation could make the greatest difference. Rather than starting with a predetermined initiative, the joint team worked to define what success would look like and where Medtronic’s capabilities, mission, and resources could have the strongest impact.
Extensive stakeholder input played a central role. BCG surveyed Medtronic’s global workforce of nearly 100,000 employees and conducted focus groups to understand where employees were most motivated to contribute.
This insight helped ensure that any future initiative would benefit from not only philanthropic investment but also active employee engagement through mentoring, volunteering, and outreach.
BCG also evaluated several potential areas of focus for the Foundation’s long-term strategy. One opportunity emerged as particularly compelling: expanding access to education and career pathways in healthcare technology.
This concept became the foundation for Medtronic Spark, a global initiative designed to propel one million students from low-income households into healthcare technology careers over the next decade.
To achieve both depth and scale, Medtronic Spark was structured around three interconnected programs:
- Medtronic Spark Scholarship removes financial barriers for students pursuing degrees or credentials in healthcare technology fields.
- Medtronic Spark Credentials expand immediate employment opportunities by offering access to free credentials in high-demand health tech roles.
- Medtronic Spark Explore inspires students’ “innovator identity” and skill development through hands-on exploration of human body design and health tech concepts.
By combining life-changing support for individual students with scalable learning experiences, the platform expands access to future health tech careers while helping address the industry’s growing talent gap.
Begin quote 1 of 2 Instead of touching a life, we wanted to change the trajectory of a life.” — Dr. Sally Saba, Global Chief Inclusion & Diversity Officer and President, Medtronic Foundation
Begin quote 2 of 2 When you bring these elements together, philanthropy becomes much more than a set of programs. It becomes a strategic platform for inclusive growth.” — Sahil Sanghvi, Managing Director and Partner, BCG
The Result
Although Medtronic Spark is still in its early stages, the initiative is already generating strong momentum.
Through employee engagement and targeted outreach, the program has reached more than 150,000 people globally, helping raise awareness of opportunities in healthcare technology. The first scholarship cycle attracted over 1,500 applicants for 100 scholarships, demonstrating strong demand for accessible pathways into the industry.
Experiential learning initiatives are also expanding. One program will deploy a mobile innovation experience, allowing students in underserved communities to explore robotics, AI, and biomedical technologies through hands-on learning.
Together, these efforts reflect the initiative’s broader ambition: to expand opportunity while strengthening the future workforce for the health tech industry.
For Medtronic, the program has delivered several strategic benefits:
- A focused philanthropic strategy aligned with Medtronic’s mission and capabilities
- Stronger alignment between social impact investments and workforce development priorities
- Increased employee engagement through mentoring and volunteering
- A scalable global platform designed to expand access to health tech careers
For students and communities, Medtronic Spark is opening pathways that may previously have been inaccessible. Over time, the initiative aims to strengthen the health tech talent pipeline while promoting greater inclusion across the industry.
