Women Developer Academy: Empowering Women in Tech

We all see and acknowledge the gender gap in the tech industry. Current research shows that women make up about 28% of the tech workforce, which is an improving but still not satisfying number. In order to keep on the growth of this number we would have to think about sustainable projects and initiatives that present women as role models to future candidates who want to enter the STEM field. Responding to this urge we kept on continuing organizing initiatives that can help closing the gap and respond to the needs of industry.

For those who haven’t heard about the program yet, a few words of introduction. The Women Developer Academy is a program for female developers that aims to increase the diversity of speakers at tech events. This year we have hosted two cohorts: one held in french and the other in english.

We designed the program in the way that participants can benefit from this 1 month journey in the best way. The Academy consisted of 4 weeks of sessions, workshops, and mentorship with well-known tech influencers and experts.(Full agenda to be checked here) Our team curated the program and agenda so it led the attendees through the whole speaker pathway starting on creating your personal brand, through preparing the content and applying to the conferences. But we didn’t forget about importance of touching on the imposter syndrome and for this purpose we organized workshop — #IamRemarkable that highlights the achievements of everyday life — both personal and professional. In order to remind yourself how important it is to celebrate even a little success.

The ultimate goal for each participant was to deliver a 5-minute talk. This has provided us with a variety of topics and see different approaches to the presentation by the participants.

We were very happy to invite 80 women to our academy. The interest in the program was really high and we were really happy to invite 80 women (for both cohorts) to our academy out of the amazing applications. Every week the participants were surprising us with deep engagement from the participants and ambitions on work harder. But talking about the program without mentioning some of the participants’ opinions wouldn’t be complete. One of the participants said:

“Participating in the program helped me improve my skills as a speaker, share best practices on how to amplify my brand in the tech space, and develop my technical skills through 1:1 mentoring, learning from leading professionals, and collaborating with other great women who share my passion for software development. The program provided valuable knowledge, practical experiences, and support, and gave me the confidence to further my career in technology.”

We’re grateful to all of our participants, speakers, and mentors for making this program such a success. We’re excited to continue to grow and empower women in tech in the future, because the program is not only about upskilling but also about joining a supportive & motivated community. And being part of it can open new opportunities, flourish networks and lots of further endeavors.

If you’re a woman or non-binary person who is interested in developing your skills as a speaker, we encourage you to apply to the next Women Developer Academy cohort. This is an amazing opportunity to learn from leading professionals, collaborate with other great women in tech, and grow your professional network. And if you haven’t been convinced yet here is what one of the participants wrote:

“This type of initiative is fundamental to the empowerment and advancement of women in technology. Thank you very much for this great opportunity, and I am sure that this experience has profound and long-term effects on my personal and professional development.”

We believe that you have the potential to be a great speaker, and we want to help you achieve your goals.