More people and more diversity in digital design

Two scholarships to helps us achieve these goals

On a very productive Saturday, back in May, Tiago and I sat down to discuss our goals for the 2018 class and what we were going to do to get there.

From the initial list, two goals stood out: 1) incentivize more people to shift careers to design; 2) promote diversity in design and tech.

These goals are particularly important because they weren’t just aimed at the applications for the 2018 program, but aligned with our vision of the world of design and tech. Here’s why.

More people in digital design

Tech companies are hiring more and more designers, making the designer:developer ratio more balanced. This high demand of design in tech still isn’t matched with the number of skilled professionals or the type of design educational programs available. We want to change this. At TNDS, we have students from distinct backgrounds, who took the leap and shifted careers. All of them get the chance to learn the right skills to thrive in the digital design field and, most importantly, to adapt to whatever new skill they will have to learn in the future.

More diversity in design and tech

The lack of diversity in tech is hardly arguable, and the benefits of having a more diverse workforce in any field have significantly been documented. We realize that diversity goes way beyond gender, but we decided to start there, and we set out to make sure that the 2018 class is gender balanced.

Working in tech, as a designer, developer, or any other role, is a massive opportunity. Most of the services and products we use every day have once been designed. It’s arguable if they were or not designed in the best possible way, and this is where the opportunity lies. Designers have the privilege to shape the way we live and interact, and, in consequence, the responsibility to do it ethically and inclusively. Having more people from different backgrounds working in design is one of the ways we can contribute to the diversity of thought and experience needed to accomplish that.

To address these goals we created two scholarships

Fresh start

We want to encourage more and more people to make a shift to this area. We know it can be hard to take a risk, leave our current jobs and start fresh, so we will support two candidates who are willing to do it and can show us what they have done in the past to pursue their passion for design, by reducing their tuition by 50%.

Women in Tech

We want to contribute to the increase of the number of women working in the tech industry. For this reason, we’ll support two women who can show us why they deserve this scholarship, by reducing their tuition by 30%.

You can help us make these goals a reality, either by applying to TNDS yourself or by sharing this post with a friend who is looking to improve their career or shift it to digital design.

Baby steps

I know there’s a lot more work to be done. I know that because I care about diversity and inclusion more than anything. After making this one of my life missions, I realized two things: 1) we can’t change the world in a day, and 2) change happens in the small, everyday steps we take towards a goal. This mission isn’t just mine; it’s also TNDS’. All of us, students and staff, work together to help everyone make the most of their learning experience, and that can only be done if we learn together how to listen to each other.

With baby steps, we aim to be a truly inclusive school that exemplifies the benefits of bringing together talented people from all different backgrounds to create a meaningful learning experience and great design professionals.

Any questions? Let’s grab a virtual coffee ☕️ and have a chat!

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