OutSystems initiates commitment to overcome the skill-gap challenge

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OutSystems has announced new collaborations and activities that will help them fulfill its long-term commitment to education and develop a diverse generation of developers. OutSystems is expanding its Developer Education Program to close the skills gap in development and Technology.

“A core tenet of our mission to empower every organization to innovate through software is a dedicated focus on expanding the developer ecosystem and creating educational opportunities around the world,” said Paulo Rosado, CEO and Founder of OutSystems.

“We’re accelerating our education-focused initiatives to support the industry-wide developer shortage, with a specific focus on traditionally underrepresented communities. The world will be a better and more equitable place when diversity and development combine. We all have work to do to create a more diverse, inclusive and vibrant developer community.”

“Investing in education is an investment in the future,” said Dennis Schultz, Executive Director of the Blacks In Technology Foundation.

He also said, “While we’re looking to bring opportunity to the individuals who we work with, programs like this also cause positive ripple effects in underrepresented communities and in the developer community. We all benefit from greater diversity in software development, and we’re excited to empower more students through this partnership with OutSystems.”

“With a degree in Biomedical Engineering, I have always worked as a medical physicist, but my main area of interest was computer vision and image processing,” said Sofia Ikbal.

He added, “During the pandemic, I decided it was time to learn more about software development. I joined an OutSystems education course because I could learn at home – combining my personal and work life with my studies. It has definitely been the best thing that has happened to me this entire year, as it gave me the ability to make a career change and follow my passion. I passed the certification and am now an Associate Reactive Developer with Indigo, an OutSystems partner.”

With software needs proliferating for enterprises across all industries and an increasing shortage of developers, OutSystems is expanding its Developer Education Program. To date, OutSystems has donated over $10 million in software licences, partnering with over 2,300 colleges in 40 countries and teaching over 58,000 students who completed over 68,000 online courses, resulting in the production of over 9,000 personal environments and almost 6,500 apps. OutSystems has also developed a global community of more than 500,000 developers to support continuing collaboration and mentoring.

A substantial focus on communities that have been disregarded and underrepresented in software development and Technology is a key component of OutSystems’ ambition to expand its education activities. This includes, among others, women, Black people, transgender and gender-nonconforming persons. OutSystems is happy to announce partnerships with Women Who Code (WWCode), Blacks In Technology, and the Australian Computer Society (ACS) to start programs and sponsorships to help provide opportunities for these groups:

Women Who Code

Women Who Code is a non-profit organization dedicated to encouraging women to pursue jobs in Technology. WWCode, in collaboration with OutSystems, is presenting a life-changing scholarship to women interested in pursuing a career in Technology. These coding scholarships provide a supportive network, mentorship, and employment prospects for women who are transitioning into tech and software development. WWCode has now donated more than $2 million to these life-changing scholarships. These initiatives aim to create a society where women are fairly represented as technical leaders, executives, founders, venture capitalists, board members, and software engineers.

Blacks in Technology

Blacks in Technology is a global forum dedicated to the advancement and inclusion of black women and men in the field of Technology. The Blacks In Technology Foundation is partnering with OutSystems to offer new CompTIA scholarships, which provide unique chances for Black people who wish to go into Technology or develop their careers in IT. Certifications such as A+ for infrastructure and hardware, Security Plus for cybersecurity, Network + for networking, and others are available through CompTIA scholarships.

The Australian Computer Society

The Australian Computer Society is the country’s largest professional group representing the information and communications technology sector. ACS is working on a scholarship initiative with OutSystems with the purpose of enabling transgender and nonbinary people to explore more options in the computer sector and learn new skills. This program is meant to provide flexibility, allowing students to explore areas of study that interest them in a secure and supportive atmosphere. In addition, the program aims to promote collaboration and networking among tech experts. Beginning in February 2022, the ACS and OutSystems will offer 6 spots in the program.

Alongside these partnerships, OutSystems is unveiling new development programs:

  • The OutSystems Faculty Development Program is designed to help professors assist their students in gaining in-demand employment skills and expanding their work options. The pilot program began in India and Brazil, where 100 professors participated in a three-day online instructor-led program to study the most important ideas of OutSystems application development and get the foundational knowledge needed to teach new Technology to their students. This new program is now moving into additional nations in order to provide OutSystems to more professors.
  • A collaboration with Code for All has resulted in the creation of an onboarding program and curriculum for professors and schools, making it easier for universities to begin teaching OutSystems.
  • The 14 Days of OutSystems Challenge is a cohort-based learning program that follows the Reactive Web Guided Path and takes developers through 14 days of short daily sessions and weekly check-ins, with certifications and career prospects as incentives. Participants will be given a daily learning plan to track their progress and learn with others in a beginner-friendly setting.
  • The Mentorship Pilot Initiative provides 20 STEM students who are committed to following the Reactive Web Guided Path with one-on-one mentorship. This program will be open to all junior members of the community in the future.

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