Big news in the tech world this week. Google has announced their partnership with Code School to help minority women learn the basics of coding.
Because only 17 % of Google employees are women, the company is taking advantage of the an opportunity to counteract the lack of diversity and women in the tech industry.
During Google’s I/O Conference, in San Francisco recently, they announced their initiative, on behalf of their Women Techmakers Program, to aid minority women in tech to learn coding.
In their announcement of the partnership the Code School also added,
It’s no secret that diversity isn’t the tech community’s strong point—and we’re always looking for opportunities to help change that. Today, a quarter of IT roles are held by women, and African Americans only make up about 3 percent of scientists and engineers. These are just a few of the more sobering statistics. The situation is clear: we have a long way to go in order to create a diverse, open and inclusive tech community. And while there is no silver bullet, we’re excited to work with Google on this piece of the educational puzzle.
Specifically, Google is giving away thousands of accounts for three free months of Code School. Together, our goal is to invest in women and minorities so they can continue developing their technical skill sets.
But let’s be clear, Google isn’t just handing out free passes. The site adds, “this isn’t exactly a free for all; Google is distributing promo codes strategically at the conference and inside the community.”
If you’re a woman in technology and want to apply for a chance to take part in this initiative, visit the Women Techmakers’ website to apply. You can then redeem your code courtesy the Code School.
1 Comment
Just took a look at the Code School site. I’m too old to learn that many new tricks.