Strap in, big news, & let’s get right to them – as of March 2023, WBS CODING SCHOOL is officially a partner of WomenTech Network, one of the leading global communities for women in tech.
Gender equality in tech, and inclusivity and diversity in general, are value pillars as well as topics of enormous importance to us. They are also problems that as of 2023 remain very distant not just from resolution, but even from catching up to the rest of industrialized society: last year’s Developer Survey by Stack Overflow – the most significant yearly overview of the industry’s trends and demographics – reported that a staggering 92% of developers identify as men.
The consequences of this are nefarious – not only are teams which include women more productive and creative (as has been demonstrated again, and again, and again), they are also safer places, where a culture of discrimination and harassment will find it much more difficult to take hold.
Pushing against the tide is therefore as important now as it has ever been, not ‘also’ but especially for those of us who work in the field of tech. And in this push, we believe we will get a big hand – and hope in return to offer our little hands as well – by having WomenTech Network as a partner.
Now – let’s get into the details about what all of this means!
Who are WomenTech Network?
No point in us trying to speak for the ladies at WomenTech Network, especially when they have already introduced themselves more accurately and concisely than we ever could. In their own words:
WomenTech Network is one of the world’s leading communities for women in tech with more than 7,000 Global Ambassadors representing 172 countries. 70,000 tech leaders have collaborated with the network to date in order to cultivate a diverse global network that reaches 3.5 million people. WomenTech Network strives to empower women in tech through leadership development, professional growth, and mentorship programs. WomenTech Network hosts regular career networking events and a global tech conference for members to connect with like-minded professionals and learn about job opportunities at leading companies that value diversity.
That is from their About page, which you can visit here for a whole load more information.
What does this partnership mean?
The WomenTech Network community is, of course, much larger than ours, which means that we will not be looking to develop a symmetric relation. For now, we intend to keep a pulse on the events and networking opportunities shared by their community, and do our best to match them with members from our own for whom they may be relevant, particularly women of course, but also men who want to be part of the solution.
We expect this to benefit both sides, and, most importantly, the cause we’d both like to work towards. We will also remain open to the possibility of closer synergy and collaboration where options open up, and reach out to WomenTech Network when we organize events or initiatives that we believe they may be interested in.
One example of how our collaboration will unfold is the enormous Women in Tech Global Conference 2023, which will take place from May 9th to May 12th. The event is hybrid, in the sense that it will take place both online and at on-site locations (just like our bootcamps, incidentally). As WomenTech Network were so kind to invite us, we will be more than happy to attend.
We will have a lot more to say on this blog about #WTGC2023, so stay tuned, but in the meantime – and just to give you a sense of the event’s scale – let me quote directly from their press release:
The event will feature +7000 WomenTech Network Ambassadors, +700 speakers from renowned companies such as Amazon, Discovery, Disney, Facebook, Google, IBM and Microsoft, as well as industry innovators aiming to inspire attendees and encourage them to embrace their potential.
All right, but what’s in it for me?
Leaving aside just for a moment the long-term opportunities that will arise from this partnership, the Women in Tech Global Conference is an opportunity like no other to hear from and be inspired by some of the leading women in tech, network with like-minded individuals, find out about emerging trends and technologies, discover, explore, and to do what WBS CODING SCHOOL is all about – to learn.
And thanks to this partnership, we are delighted to be able to offer a 20% discount on tickets to the event for all members of our community! If you are a student with us (prospective or current) or one of our alumni, and you’d like to take part in this conference, simply get in touch. We’ll take it from there.
For now, let us simply close with these three words and a question mark: see you there? We will be sending some of our top girls to the #WTGC2023. If you’re around, let us know and we can share a coffee – virtual or real as it may be.
