Supporting Women in Tech with Code Nation

To help more people build on their tech skills as part of our recently upgraded Tech+ solution, this month we’ve been working closely with our partners at Code Nation on two exciting initiatives.  

We love Code Nation’s mantra, ‘anyone can code’. As a company, Code Nation are passionate about creating employable talent, and their immersive bootcamps in Software Development and Cyber Security do just that. Our partnership was born out of a shared mission to support the emerging workforce, equipping them with the skills they need to succeed and plug the digital skills gap, with a particular focus on creating more opportunities for women and young people in tech. 

The first of our initiatives was a 2-day remote coding course for 16-18 year olds, the workforce of the future. With the number of students taking IT subjects at GCSE falling by 40% since 2015 and demand for digital skills soaring, we know that it’s more important than ever to encourage young people to give tech a try. As well as teaching the fundamentals of coding languages such as HTML, CSS and JavaScript, as part of the course Grayce Analysts from our Corporate Social Responsibility Team dropped in to share learnings from their own careers and offer ongoing mentorship to the attendees. 

Secondly, as part of our commitment to improving diversity in tech, we are sponsoring two women as they complete one of Code Nation’s popular 12-week coding bootcamps. Currently, only  19% of tech workers in the UK are women. We want to change this. By taking part in the programme, our scholars are learning the fundamentals of coding and programming, as well as developing the interpersonal skills they will need to start a career in Tech, all with a view to Grayce helping them into employment upon completion. 

Working closely with Code Nation, we shortlisted several applicants, interviewing each to get to know them better as individuals and explore their reasons for pursuing the scholarship. Having met some brilliant women from a variety of different backgrounds, we underwent the difficult task of whittling our candidates down to just two, Anam & Lorraine, who have now started their training. 

Anam is a mother of two who moved to the UK five years ago and graduated with a degree in eCommerce. After graduating, a shift in priorities and a focus on being a mum meant that her career took a back seat. Wanting to change that, she has been working hard to fund childcare alongside Code Nation courses. We were inspired by Anam’s dedication to self-development and through the interview process learnt that through the scholarship she is looking for the opportunity to upskill, pursue a career in coding and continue to support her family.  

Lorraine has a history of working in the care industry, but unfortunately a physical injury prompted a change of career. She has been completing tutorials to learn more about coding in her spare time, building the foundations of her knowledge. Her passion for coding is infectious, and she’s now ready for the next step in her learning, and to kickstart a career in an industry that she loves. 

December 2021 Update: Following the succes of our first scholarships, and having recently welcomed Anam to the business, Grayce are proud to announce that we are now extending our partnership with Code Nation and together, will be supporting 100 women to kickstart their careers in tech. Our Women in Tech Scholarships offer fully-funded places on Code Nation’s 12-week Master:Coding bootcamp and a guaranteed interview to join Grayce’s Tech+ programme upon completion of the course.