Pune, Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad
Programming a world of opportunities for women
Women have borne the brunt of inequality for centuries, facing systemic marginalisation and injustice. Without as much as a voice or a choice about matters of their own lives, women, especially from rural and lower-income families, have been denied access to education or the right to embark on a career, impinging on their need to have financial autonomy and independence. Even though women attempt to break free from the boxes of gender roles and get educated, they are often forced into marriages at an early age unless they have financial autonomy. Bereft of a choice, they are forced to give up on their dreams and ambitions and comply with their life circumstances. Can technology hold their hands and enable them to break free from social constraints?
Capgemini’s School of Coding programme was conceptualised in 2019 in partnership with JP Morgan and highlights the importance of building a dynamic workforce in the field of technology by bringing talented women into its fold. Focusing exclusively on educated women who belong to economically vulnerable households, the programme acts as a bridge in their journey of establishing long and rewarding careers in the IT industry. Capgemini engaged with EduBridge to implement their initiative in India through training and mentorships on the latest in-demand tech skills essential to pursuing their dream tech jobs.
“Our programmes have a powerful diversity element where we want to focus on women and bring them to the forefront of tech careers in India. We want to provide them with tech skills if they have the aptitude, the will, the desire and the alignment.”
School of Coding’s primary objective is to address the skill gap that has obstructed many educated women from entering the workforce. The pandemic also presented another challenge making it difficult for them to find employment opportunities and attain economic empowerment.
Girish Singhania
Founder & CEO at EduBridge Learning, NGO Partner
“The School of Coding is a unique programme aimed at creating women’s participation in the tech sector. Every year, we train about 1000 women who are recent graduates and work with them to instil technological skills which are required by employers today, be it in software testing or various coding languages. At the end of this training intervention, which lasts about four to five months per learner, the idea is to secure a job to help them build sustainable careers in the tech sector. There are many inspiring stories that we come across every day with women coming from backgrounds where nobody in their family has ever been a graduate. Coming from low-income backgrounds, they did everything to get their engineering degrees but couldn’t secure employment, leading to discontentment. However, this intervention has helped them develop the necessary skill sets and secure jobs in reputable IT service companies.”
Despite possessing a Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology, for over a year, Mahima’s efforts remained futile in her search for a job. Her formal education and degree did not prepare her with the soft skills that would aid in navigating the job market, so she lacked the self-confidence to crack the interview process and secure employment.
Even though Roshani had an aptitude and deep interest in learning new computer programming languages, she could not think of venturing into the job sector to pursue her career of choice. Her limited knowledge of spoken English and her need for more confidence hindered her ambitions.
After a gap of two years upon completing her education, Kajal thought of getting a job. Although she felt ill-equipped and outdated with her technical knowledge and skills, she was determined to shatter the societal prejudices about women working after marriage.
With the School of Coding, life for thousands of women is different today. After successfully completing their training on industry-relevant technical and soft skills, where they found the diligent support to reach their potential, these talented and ambitious women have changed the trajectory of their life and taken steady steps towards a fulfilling career in the field of technology. What makes the stories of Mahima, Roshani and Kajal even more inspiring is that they boldly ventured outside their comfort zones and carved a path for themselves. They can financially support and better the economic prospects in their households, and most importantly, they have broken the glass ceiling by becoming the first working women in their families.
“It is very important to earn, especially in today’s generation. I am so happy that my wish has come true so I can now fulfil all my other wishes! I bought a new mobile phone for my mother and my aunt with my first salary. I also ordered a guitar for myself, since I love music and I have always wanted to play it!”
Through the School of Coding, Capgemini is shattering barriers hindering women’s progress by enabling them to follow their dreams and take control of their destinies. The training and support that the programme provides, along with the transformation that they could see in their own personalities, have resulted in a newfound confidence in their abilities, giving wings to their dream to scale new heights in their career with their capability and tenacity. And the level playing field offered by technology has been the impetus for these life-changing advancements.
Mitali Thorat
Software Engineer at Capgemini
“So far, there have been two surreal moments in my life. The first one was when I received the offer letter from Capgemini through email, and the second one was when my father got misty-eyed when he dropped me at the office on my first day on the job. Moments like these inspire me to become a better version of myself, as I remember the days when I was struggling to find a job and was completely demoralised. I have come to realise that each one of us has the desire to build a great career, but not everyone has the requisite resources to do so. I am eternally thankful to Capgemini and EduBridge for being a guardian angel in my life.”
School of Coding has become a silver lining for many young women in our country who aspire to work in this exciting field that is inherently brimming with innumerable opportunities for growth and development. The programme’s first phase began in 2019, where 1275 women have been trained, of which 85% have been successfully placed. In 2021, the programme entered its second phase in which 1600 women will be trained in technical and soft skills. School of Coding centres are in Pune, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad.
Pune, Mumbai, Chennai and Hyderabad
