JavaScript Bootcamp

Last Saturday, we contributed to another step towards gender inclusivity in the world of technology, organizing a JavaScript bootcamp in partnership with SheTech, a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the gender gap in STEM. The primary goal of this event was to provide young girls and women with a tangible opportunity to delve into the realm of programming, addressing the prevailing skill mismatch within the STEM sector.

Through word of mouth and thanks to Bitrock’s and SheTech’s active communities, the event drew the enthusiasm of almost 50 participants, both girls and boys, all eager to enhance their programming skills. 

The bootcamp kicked off with an insightful briefing on the Front-End scenario, followed by a presentation outlining Bitrock’s value proposition.

Participants explored the world of JavaScript guided and supported by experienced Mentors. They challenged themselves in practical exercises divided into different levels, suitable for both beginner and more experienced programmers. 

After five hours of intense programming, the bootcamp ended with a dynamic Q&A and feedback session during which participants openly discussed various aspects of the event, sharing insights and experiences,  giving us useful hints fundamental to the continuous improvement of our events.

This bootcamp represents the commitment of Bitrock and SheTech in fostering a diverse and inclusive tech community. By providing practical opportunities for skill development and creating an engaging learning environment, the event served as a small yet impactful step towards addressing the gender gap in STEM.

As we celebrate the success of the JavaScript bootcamp, we recognize the importance of continued efforts in supporting women in technology, entrepreneurship, and the digital space. The journey towards gender equality in STEM is ongoing, and with opportunities like these, we give our contribution for a more balanced and innovative future.

Stay tuned for more exciting events, bootcamps and workshops in partnership with SheTech… coming soon!

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Last week we organized an exciting  Bootcamp in partnership with SheTech, focused on ReactJs.

The aim of this bootcamp was the same of the previous ones:  giving young girls and women a concrete opportunity to get closer to the world of programming, and fill the skill mismatch that is – unfortunately – still high in the STEM sector.

Thanks to word of mouth and dedicated sponsoring activities, we succeeded in involving 30 participants, most of them women, passionate about programming and with the desire to enrich their own skills and knowledge.

After an initial briefing on the Front-end scenario and a presentation about Bitrock’s value proposition, participants could finally begin to put their hands on their laptops and start working.

All the groups were guided and supported by our Mentors (including Leonardo, one of the previous bootcamp’s participants, who joined the Bitrock team a few months ago) in an exercise based on ReactJs with the final goal of creating a Memory (card  game).

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To get all participants more involved and increase the knowledge of the Bitrock brand, we launched a challenge: the funniest Instagram stories would win a special prize and, at the end of the event, we were  glad to announce four winners! 

After almost five hours of programming, the bootcamp ended with an interesting Q&A and feedback session, characterized by an open discussion on all touched points and topics.

As in the past bootcamps, it was a really useful moment for us, since we received different tips to improve future events. We can’t wait to put them into practice!

We are proud of this small step towards a major objective: bridging the gender gap in STEM and supporting women in the world of technology, entrepreneurship and digital. We will continue to organize events like this to help create an inclusive and inspiring work environment for everyone.

Follow us on our social media profiles to stay updated on our next events!

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SheTech Breakfast Bitrock

Fortitude Group  strongly believes in gender equality and encourages inclusiveness and enhancement of differences.

For these reasons, all the companies of the Group are partners of SheTech, a non-profit association created with the aim of filling the gender gap in the world of technology, digital and entrepreneurship, through networking, empowerment and training activities.

In the past, we organized different types of events in collaboration with SheTech and, finally, last 24th November we had our first in-person breakfast, after two virtual editions.

The breakfast was the occasion to learn from our Role Models that have made a successful career out of their passion for technology. A very special thanks goes to Samantha Giro, Marinella Mastrosimone and Ginevra Grassi for sharing their personal & professional stories, being a precious source of inspiration for many young girls and women who want to enter the STEM world.

We admit that it was a surprise also for us, colleagues from the Bitrock team,  even if we already knew them: the passion and emotion that we saw in their eyes really struck us. In this blog article, we would like to share some ideas that we have found particularly enlightening and useful for all the women who work in – or  want to enter – the Tech world!

Integrate and not differentiate 

The STEM sector is indeed, according to the data, more masculine than feminine. However, this should not be a reason for the masculinization of female professionals who decide to enter it and make their own contribution.

On the contrary!

First of all, women should recognize their typical characteristics and then import them into the working context in which they are, not letting that define their behavior.

Typically feminine features such as empathy, multitasking and intuitiveness are fundamental qualities in today’s business, whatever sector it is. 

On the other hand, it’s wrong to reject the masculine elements: a lot of them, like rationality, strength and assertiveness, should be internalized.

Therefore, in the STEM sector and more generally in the world of work, a progressive integration and enhancement of feminine and masculine traits should happen: this enriches and completes the professional figures of whatever gender they are.

Listen to your instincts and learn to follow gut feelings… sometimes 

During the interview, our Role Models talked about personal and emotional aspects too. A topic that emerged several times was instinct.

Considering today’s data in the STEM sector, it’s normal to be curious about the women’s reasons for choosing to work in it.

By telling their stories, our colleagues have demonstrated that often the situations we live in – both professional and personal –  derive from casual events and intuitive decisions.

In this way Samantha started her career  in the Mobile sector, Ginevra switched from being an architect to being UI designer, and Marinella often orientated herself by following “gut feelings” rather than logical thinking.

Three women, three professionals who demonstrate that success is not only determined by rigid calculations but it should be supported by flashes of creativity and instinct too.

Love what you do and you can do everything

An increasingly current problem is the mental load: a psychological overload caused by the sum of work, domestic and family thoughts. Working women are probably the most exposed category to this problem, partly due to the typical tendency to have everything under control and partly due to the socio-cultural heritage that female figures still have today.

Asking our Role Models how they deal with this dynamic, this is what emerged: love what you do and do what you love so as to be satisfied and able to manage all aspects of your life.

Obviously, it’s easier said than done, but it’s a good start.

Another way to succeed in content switching is to ask for help both at work and in private not thinking that this indicates incompetence – remember that the ability to delegate and prioritize are two of the key skills of all successful managers!

The first in-person breakfast was truly a success and brought out important aspects that need to be considered in every company. 

At Bitrock we have values ​​that reflect the key messages that emerged during the event.

We are committed to implementing them daily through a Leadership Model that envisages a series of dedicated actions, with the final goal of shaping an inclusive, supportive workplace, where effective communication and cross-team collaboration play a crucial role.

For these reasons, our collaboration with SheTech is so important and stimulates us to continuous improvement.

We now have many other events planned, first of all the coding bootcamp that will take place on January 28th focused on React, in which our colleagues (and their skills) will be at the disposal of those wishing to try their hand at a tech challenge… Stay tuned to know more!

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Our Mission as a Group to Bridge the Gender Gap and Raise Awareness about the Topic

Bitrock and Fortitude Group have looked for fresh optimism in 2021, following the global Covid-19 emergency, which has completely changed the game in the ICT market. In the past months, we have demonstrated our resilient and constructive attitude as a Group, and we are now ready to take on any new challenges with vigor, relying on the unrivaled passion and enthusiasm of all Bitrockers.

It is now time to revisit an old issue that has always defined the ICT industry and the STEM landscape in general: gender diversity and the effects of gender decisions in the near future.

Women in STEM

According to Gartner, 75% of organizations with frontline decision-making teams that represent a diverse and inclusive community would outperform their financial goals by 2022. Gender-diverse and inclusive teams also outperform gender-homogeneous, less inclusive teams by around 50%. It is thus without question that women can create enormous value for the entire digital sector.

One of the key problems is that in higher education, only a limited number of women choose STEM-related fields. Girls make up just 3% of students enrolled in information and communication technology (ICT) courses worldwide. Moreover, deep-seated gender roles and bias discourage women pursuing STEM careers.

Now it is our opportunity to turn things around and ensure that girls all over the world not only receive an education, but also see a bright future in STEM. For innovation and long-term, sustainable economic development, young girls with an interest in STEM must be empowered and inspired to pursue careers in technology.

Bridging the gap of gender diversity

As Bitrock, it is critical that we raise our own awareness (as well as the one of our stakeholders, partners, and collaborators) about the topic. As a tech company where men still make up the majority of the workforce, we agree that gender equality is not solely a female issue. We see this as a critical challenge that must be addressed immediately in order to achieve gender parity in the technology industry’s future

As part of Fortitude Group, we at Bitrock are proud to endorse SheTech, a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the gender gap in the tech and digital world. The community organizes networking activities as well as training courses to help girls and women learn new skills and job opportunities while also providing positive role models.

Bitrock is promoting new projects in the sector through this Partnership, which aims to increase the representation of women in technological and digital employment. We also hope to raise awareness of technology job roles among young women by participating in SheTech’s Digital Breakfast events and dedicated workshops, as well as debunk some of the myths that exist around technology employment.

Last but not least, all women in our Team have access to an annual membership, allowing them to participate in SheTech’s activities, training courses, bootcamps, and webinars: the ideal opportunity to gain new soft skills, network with peers, and make lifelong learning a priority in their careers.

Conclusions

Gender equality at all levels is a very effective success enabler. For this reason, we are actively participating in mentorships in order to create more opportunities for women. We have prioritized this in our Employer Branding strategy and set goals that will hopefully result in a rise in female employees.

To conclude on an optimistic note, we agree that if we all work together, the gender gap will narrow in the future, and we will continue to fight until we achieve full gender equality in the ICT field.

Stay tuned to discover all the events in partnership with SheTech we have in store for you!

Resources

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