Okteto Partners with Girls in Tech Spain
We believe in the importance of a diverse tech industry and look forward to the day when diversity is embraced by our entire industry. As it stands now, only 26% of computing jobs are held by women. While this is a lower than ideal percentage, here at Okteto we’re still hopeful because we see many positive changes happening in the industry. One of the most impactful changes we’ve seen is the growth of organizations that focus on eliminating the gender gap and helping candidates from non-traditional backgrounds break into the industry.
That’s why we’re excited to announce our partnership with Girls in Tech Spain! We want to be part of the transformation already happening in the tech industry and start helping more female-identifying candidates find success in the tech job market.
Girls in Tech
Girls in Tech is a nonprofit organization that exists to help eliminate the gender gap in the tech industry. Started in 2007 by Adriana Gascoigne, Girls in Tech now has more than 60,000 members and more than 50 chapters around the world. So far, they’ve funded over 5K entrepreneurs, had over 59K participants in hackathons, and have had over 75K participants in coding, design, and startup bootcamps. Their website also hosts a job board where companies post open roles across many sectors of the tech industry such as software engineering, product management, and business operations.
Girls in Tech Spain launched in March of 2015, and hosts events, webinars and more for local tech talent in Spain. Their goal is to make a difference and encourage more women to become involved in technology through their chapter.
How we’re partnering with Girls in Tech
Okteto is partnering with Girls in Tech Spain because we believe in their mission—to eliminate the gender gap in the tech industry. We’ll be working together with them on webinars, online classes, and a Hackathon in October. As a company, we wanted to do our part in helping women in tech succeed and we’re excited to work with this organization that is doing so much good in our industry.
How you can help
If you’re interested in seeing those from non-traditional backgrounds find their future in the tech industry, our advice is to get involved! Offer to volunteer with one of the many organizations out there like Girls in Tech. It could be as simple as assisting with a webinar, or encouraging the company you work for to offer sponsorship or scholarship opportunities to underrepresented groups. You can also spread the word about the need for more diversity in tech. Speak up during hiring meetings and champion candidates who come from a non-traditional background. If your company is not getting applicants from underrepresented groups, try posting jobs in places like the Girls in Tech job board and other similar job boards geared to reaching those you’re looking for.
Here at Okteto, we’re currently hiring and would love to chat with you! We also recently started our guest tech writer program and we’d be thrilled to feature voices from non-traditional backgrounds on our blog. Please check out our tech writer info page and get in touch with any questions!
Together we can help bridge the gender gap and see more diversity in the tech industry!
Check out Girls in Tech for ways to get involved in this organization.
Melissa Williams