Are you a woman with a passion and love for computer science? Then you have come to the right place. Recently, two tech-passionate women Founders partnered with each other to create a technical intern program this summer. The internship would benefit small businesses and startups in the US as well as women who are tech specialists.
More about the female Founders and their organisations:
Rewriting The Code is a non-profit organisation established by Sue Harnett for empowering and supporting women or female students who are building their career in computer technology. Allobee, on the other hand, is a platform founded by Brooke Markevicius, which aims to connect business owners to a less experienced workforce. The workforce mainly comprises professional women who are seeking to do non-traditional work.
How it started?
The partnership between the two initiated mainly because of the common ground and goals i.e. supporting women. Harnett decided to reach out to Allobee’s Founder after she spotted a feature on Allobee. She then discovered Markevicius in The Triangle Business Journal, which covers local business news in the Raleigh/Durham, NC area.
After a formal mail exchange, they decided to meet virtually on Zoom. And during their virtual chat, the connection between the two seemed serendipitous because of the common beliefs and vision. They found out how much they both loved tech and how both their organisations vision was streamlined to support women in their careers. Not only this, they also found that they only live less than a mile away from each other.
The initial virtual meet and talk led to the development of a program to help RTC’s pool of outstanding vetted women tech students get internship roles with employers through Allobee. Both the Founders had no problem in finding quality candidates. But after receiving a huge number of applications in just three hours, the real problem was to find businesses that would like to hire those interns. The courses of those applicants were coming to an end and the deadline to get an internship was quickly approaching.
How will it help women in tech?
Markevicius and Harnett were determined to enhance the experience of startups and entrepreneurs who are in need of technical talent and thus decided to make a smooth internship experience which would be more accessible for employers and interns alike. They are keen to support women because women still make up only a small percentage in the technical workforce, and this small proportion has been steady since the last 15 years. Moreover, only 6% of Asian women, 3% of African American women, and 2% of Hispanic women are in the computer related jobs.
“This Summer Cohort is an exciting opportunity for the future female tech grads in our program,” stated Harnett. “An important goal of RTC’s is to open the doors of possibility to our students and introduce them to overlooked positions in computer science and tech, which they may want to pursue post graduation. I hope employers take an interest in helping to launch the careers of these women, by allowing our students to hone their skills and gather real world experience in the field while completing their studies.”
“I’ve seen the gap, not just in the traditional workforce, but also in the freelance space. There are very few women with technical skills beyond simple website development. I want to change that,” said Markevicius. “The best skill I learned was how to code, that’s why I have a huge passion for getting women into technical roles.”
“Our program is unique in that our interns will receive ongoing support while working on their projects, and the employers will have access to support from start to finish as well,” added Markevicius. “We’ve ensured that the price point is attainable for small businesses and startups with options available for part time work.”
How will the platform work?
Allobee’s platform will help the interns and clients to match with each other. It will also manage the administrative side of the hiring process and will assist in laying out a project if required. The internship program will be 100% virtual with both interns and employers located around the US. Rewriting the Code’s team will provide mentors who will visit throughout the summer and will help in setting up the community events and discussions with the needs and requirements of interns in mind.
More than 80% of women who applied for the internships expressed a desire to work on a project that would make a social impact or something that would benefit others. But the platform allows any company to match with any intern. The company’s who are willing to hire a summer intern can fill out Allobee’s Client Application for getting started. The work on a single project has been planned to place from mid-May through mid-August 2021.
Allobee will also offer non-technical internships to women who are within their network and are looking to upskill themselves or were laid off due to the pandemic. The women who are seeking internships can apply here. Non-tech internships will range from handling social media accounts like Facebook and SEO-related work to content writing.
Back in January, Allobee also announced that they have successfully raised $500K and in Q2 they will be finalizing their collaborations and partnerships to give their clients and experts a smooth experience. They’ll also be announcing their advisory group in the same quarter.
More about Allobee:
Allobee is a platform that was designed for entrepreneurs and small business owners who are overwhelmed by the amount of work. Whether they are in need of business support services like tech assistance, bookkeeping, podcast editing, upleveling visibility, website development, social media, or graphic design, Allobee is a one-stop business solution to give them their time back especially when they need it most. The algorithm that Allobee use connects nationwide business owners to an underutilized workforce of experienced, vetted, professional women who have left the traditional 9 to 5. This provides a streamlined workflow and makes it easier to hire, pay, and manage projects. You can learn more about Allobee here.
More about Rewriting the Code:
Rewriting the Code is a nonprofit organization which was developed for building an international community of exceptional college and women who are just starting out in their careers with a passion for technology. RTC’s vision is to empower women so that they can become the next generation of engineers and tech leaders. RTC helps them in career exploration, facilitating community, mentorship, personal and professional development, and hands-on experience by partnering with tech companies across a different industries.
