Laboratoria wants to integrate 4,000 women into the digital economy with Code M

Laboratoriesthe educational association dedicated to training low-income women in technological skills, announced the launch of Codigo M, a platform to bring more Latin American women closer to programming, user experience design (UX) and web development.

As part of the M Code, Laboratoria will launch a series of training and relationship events so that those women who are interested in the digital economy can meet other women who already work in the technological areas of global companies; as well as learn digital skills.

Laboratoria’s new project, says Mariana Costa, its founder and executive director, aims to meet the demand of women who seek to attend the bootcamp that the company offers. More than 6,000 women attend Laboratoria’s annual call, but the platform only has the capacity to train 600 women a year.

digital divides

The difference between the number of applicants and those who are admitted to the laboratory bootcamp shows that the gap in digital skills between women and men is not due to women’s lack of interest in technology, but to the lack of access to this type of technology. training in the region.

In addition to its bootcamp, which consists of an intensive training program (6 months) in skills to work in the digital economy, such as front-end development or user experience (UX), M Code is Laboratoria’s response to this lack of access that translates into fewer women in innovation and technology environments.

Other examples of these digital gaps is that women programmers earn 22% less than men for performing the same functions, according to the report “Equal pay now!”, prepared by the Mexican chapter of the international organization Global Shaperswith data from the year 2017, or that only three out of 10 Mexican women are Directors of Technology (CTO) in Mexico, according to a report by LinkedIn.

“Technology is a sector that is full of opportunities and in it, due to various stereotypes, women have been underrepresented. We are still very few, despite the fact that we are making improvements,” Costa said at a press conference.

women’s month

Laboratoria was founded in 2014, in Lima, Peru, by Herman Marin, Mariana Costa, Rodulfo Prieto. Since then, she has given her bootcamp to 2,400 women from Peru, Colombia, Chile, Mexico and Brazil, most of whom have found employment in more than 950 companies, such as Accenture, IBM, Scotiabank, AstraZeneca, Deloitte, Walmart, Globant and Rappi, among many more.

Within the framework of Women’s Month, the launch of M Code will consist of a three-day remote event on March 17, 24 and 31, in which participants will be able to “learn about the alternatives offered by the tech world”; “understand how to start this journey”, and “connect with inspiring women who also started working with technology from scratch”.

The call is free and is open to the participation of all women, regardless of their age, their educational level and socioeconomic status, their current occupation or whether or not they have experience in technology. It is only necessary to register at www.codigom.la and attend the events of the program at the following times:

• Mexico: 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
• Peru and Colombia: 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
• Chile: 8:00 a 10:00 pm

rodrigo.riquelme@eleconomista.mx