Zopa X Code First Girls
We’ve teamed up with Code First Girls to help launch more women into their careers in tech. Here’s more about the partnership, how we we’re working with them and the key dates for your diary
Zopa has partnered with Code First Girls, the largest provider of free coding courses for women in the UK, to help more women develop the skills and begin an exciting career in tech.
Over the rest of the year, we’ll be offering funded course places, Nanodegree scholarships and hosting an online event for career switchers and university graduates looking to upskill and enter the world of tech. It’s all with the goal of welcoming five Code First Girls alumni into the tech teams here at Zopa in 2022.
Patricia Haynes, our VP of Engineering, said, “Tech has a built-in case for Diversity and Inclusion in all its guises – different perspectives add genuine business value. That’s why we’re determined to find and support the best female tech talent. The excellent courses that Code First Girls run provide opportunities to women who are passionate about a career in tech, whatever their background. And we can’t wait to meet the women who are choosing to take this route.”
Sound interesting? Here are the key dates for your diary:
14th June: the Python course for career switchers begins
First up, we’re funding 70 places on Code First Girls courses, starting with an 8-week Python course for career switchers.
This beginner-friendly course will help students learn the fundamentals of programming through problem-solving in Python and how this can be applied to things like apps.
It’s open to all women who are two or more years out of education, whatever their educational and professional background. Attendance on a Code First Girls course, like this one, is ideal if you’re interested in applying for a Zopa-sponsored Nanodegree place later in the summer.
Head to the Code First Girls website to apply now.
The other 35 funded places will be for a university course, which we’ll announce later this year. Watch this space!
5th July: MOOC
Our MOOC (Massive Open Online Course) will be held in the evening of 5th July.
It’s free and open to everyone, with interactive knowledge sharing exercises. We’re planning to look at software delivery cycles, talking about the principles, and looking at how we implement this at Zopa. The course will be facilitated by members of Zopa’s tech team, so attendees will hear first-hand what it’s like to work here.
Keep an eye out – sign-ups will open soon.
12th July: Applications for the Nanodegrees open
We’re also sponsoring five women to undertake a Code First Girls Nanodegree, comprising three career switchers and two graduates. They’ll receive mentoring from the Zopa tech team throughout, and we’ll be aiming to make hires at the end of it, with the roles starting from January 2022.
The 12-week Nanodegree enables women to build a career in either data or software. It will be open by application and interview to high potential women who want a career in data or software. To apply you’ll need to have attended some previous Code First Girls courses. You can find out more about Nanodegrees here.
On the Nanodegree, participants will complete a 6-week foundation layer followed by six weeks in their specialisation area – this can either be data or software. The courses are run in the evenings to help ensure everyone who wants to partake in them has some flexibility around their daytime commitments.
Joining Zopa’s Women in Tech
We really want the women we sponsor for their Nanodegree to go on to join us at Zopa. To get a flavour of what it’s like to work here, check out these interviews with two of our current women in tech: Patricia Haynes, VP of Engineering, and Sheetal Patil, Senior Database Engineer.
