Everybody has a dream; mine is seeing more people like me win.
Love Circular is a mission-led online learning academy improving access to learning for those the system fails.
Backstory
Before I start, I want to reiterate that we provide an inclusive service to all. We’re focusing on levelling the playing field to improve equity in communities that often ignored systemically.
Why does Love Circular exist?
My name’s Zaire, and I set up Love Circular with my close friend Izaac Barratt intending to improve people’s opportunity to technical jobs in the digital landscape. Fast forward 11 months, and we’re here with 52 active students learning UX/UI Design from an idea we thought of after getting our big break in the corporate world. Since then, 2 of my designers have gone on to land their first UX/UI Design roles; 1 in Birmingham, UK and the other in Copenhagen, Denmark. I’m incredibly proud and humbled to know an idea conceptualised through seeing little diversity in tech has changed these two individuals situations for themselves and their family.
The world is waking up to the systemic oppression that has existed for centuries targeting specific groups of people. This issue, of course, trickles down into tech and the opportunities that present themselves at the grassroots level.
We exist to create positive change, and we are doing this by teaching what we know best. Product design (UX/UI). As we’re still in phase one, our efforts focus solely on the one course within our academy; these plans include launching additional courses, recruitment services and more.
Love Circular’s vision is one where the tech industry will be accessible to all people, most of whom it has previously been unreachable. We strongly believe giving this opportunity will significantly improve lives — career options and open doors to new opportunities.
Our pricing model allows us to offer our learning program below market price to lower the bar for cheaper access to learning and career support. For the past five months, I’ve been practising Reid Hoffman’s “to scale, do things that don’t scale” philosophy. Without fail, I’ve spent the last 26 weeks teaching UX and UI design to our designers (45), for free.
Our program has not only developed their skills and knowledge but from the beta service alone, we’ve had two designers land their first UX/UI full-time jobs. For these students, our service has provided a community of positive affirmations, knowledge from experienced industry designers and a place where they aren’t alone in their journey upskilling themselves.
How does it work?
We’re drastically improving accessibility to learning technical skills in UX/UI design by focusing our efforts on enhancing opportunities for the underprivileged.
Our UX/UI Design course is a 12-week part-time online program. The course was created by industry experts to take a complete beginner from no experience to job-ready Junior level designers in 90 days.
We’re currently looking for partners to sponsor students to give free access to our learning and career coaching services.
We’re currently offering the opportunity to develop partnerships with national companies and individuals to invest in the future of our students.
Giving course spaces out for free isn’t as sustainable as it was before launching. We’re aware that not everyone whom we’d like to help can afford our costs, not without significant lifestyle sacrifices in efforts to accumulate enough savings. To put this into context, we have designers who care for parents and have children while not being in the most stable career position.
The opportunity for us branching out to partnerships has come about after several companies and individuals reached out.
Touched by our work, they’ve expressed their desire to support and work on helping us reach out to communities. It comes in the form of sponsoring students by paying course fees to those who could do with an extra boost in life.
I’ve experienced first-hand how getting into this lucrative industry can change a person’s life for the better, and I want to keep seeing this happen for the people in our communities.
If you represent a company or are an individual who’s interested in sponsoring design students, please get in touch.
Get in touch with me via email: za@lovecircular.com or on, Twitter and Instagram
