Kaplan Test Prep and thoughtbot are offering $2,000 scholarships for
women and underrepresented minorities* who are chosen to participate in
Metis, a new bootcamp for individuals interested in becoming
professional Ruby on Rails web developers. The scholarship, specific to
Metis students from backgrounds underrepresented in the technology
sector, seeks to encourage skills training for these individuals to
secure employment opportunities within the fast-growing technology
sector.
While women and minorities have made tremendous strides across other
industries such as law, medicine, and business, the tech sector offers
another opportunity for these groups to continue breaking down barriers.
A number of private and government statistics show the following:
-
Women make up less than one-third of all employees in the tech sector.
Tech companies employ an average of 12.33 percent female engineers.
Women contribute to just 1.2 percent of open source software.
-
Only four percent of people in software development, application and
systems jobs are African American and five percent are Hispanic or
Latino.
-
Women of color represent less than three percent of the people in
technology fields.
“As the technology sector continues to grow, we need to take steps to
create more avenues from underrepresented demographic groups who will
bring diverse ideas to continue driving the exponential economic
industry growth. This scholarship is a step toward supporting a more
diverse workforce,” said Jason Moss, co-founder of Metis.
Metis is designed as a new economy skills training (NEST) program to
provide immersive training in skills that are in high demand in today’s
job market, preparing participants for hire. Under the competitive
application process, candidates will be selected among applicants for an
interview which will entail problem-solving questions. No more than 30
qualified applicants will be accepted for each cohort. Metis program
participants will be trained in HTML5: Erb, CSS: Sass, JavaScript, Ruby
on Rails and Git, and will learn how to independently create Ruby on
Rails applications. At the end of the program, graduates will
participate in a Hiring Day, which will connect Metis graduates with
potential employers.
To apply, visit www.thisismetis.com.
Applications are being accepted on a rolling basis, with the final
deadline for the first cohort rapidly approaching. The first class will
start on February 24, 2014 at thoughtbot’s Boston office.
*Includes African Americans, Hispanic and Latino Americans,
Mexican-Americans, Native Americans (American Indians, Alaska Natives,
and Native Hawaiians), Pacific Islanders, and mainland Puerto Ricans.
About Kaplan Test Prep
Kaplan Test Prep (www.kaptest.com)
is a premier provider of educational and career services for
individuals, schools and businesses. Established in 1938, Kaplan is the
world leader in the test prep industry. With a comprehensive menu of
online offerings as well as a complete array of print books and digital
products, Kaplan offers preparation for more than 90 standardized tests,
including entrance exams for secondary school, college and graduate
school, as well as professional licensing exams for attorneys,
physicians and nurses. Kaplan also provides private tutoring and
graduate admissions consulting services.
About thoughtbot
thoughtbot (thoughtbot.com)
is a world-class consulting firm that makes web and mobile apps for
early-stage startups and other organizations. Established in 2003, their
consulting team consists of 65 designers, web developers, and mobile
developers in Boston, San Francisco, Stockholm, Denver, Philadelphia,
Raleigh, and New York City.
Note to editors: Kaplan is a subsidiary of The Graham Holdings
Company (NYSE:GHC)
Copyright Business Wire 2014