TCS partners with ReDI School to fast-track migrant women into employment in Denmark

ReDI School in Copenhagen partnerswith TCS Denmark as a new educational partner that strengthens their IT upskilling program. The goal is to shorten the path to employment in the STEM sector in Denmark. The first TCS-trained class ended in June.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) and ReDI School have this spring organized a workshop in 'Introduction to Design Thinking' through 'goIT', TCS' global education program. TCS has delivered goIT programs to schools worldwide since 2017, but this year is the first time TCS rolls out 'goIT' in Denmark in collaboration with ReDI School. With this collaboration, 11 women from six different countries will have the opportunity to try their hand at Design Thinking in 2023.

ReDI students will solve business challenges through Design Thinking.

goIT is a global TCS educational program which is also runs in the Nordics with great success. The program aims to give young students and adults from diverse backgrounds with a taste of what it is like to work in IT and coding and provide training that makes a career in the STEM sector possible. An industry that in Denmark has significant hiring challenges. As part of the Danish ReDI program, participants were asked to come up with an idea for an app with a focus on solving a problem linked to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

"There is an estimated gap of nearly7,000 IT experts in Denmark today – expected to rise to more than 20,000 in a few years. So, as we we move into a digital-first society, we will needmore STEM-educated people. Together with ReDI School, we hope we can push the needlein the right direction, while also helping local migrant women acquire the vital skillsets,they can use to get ahead in life," says Vikram Sharma, Country Manager of TCS Denmark.

ReDI, Set Go

The new ReDI and TCS program has proven popular among the participants. In time, TCS hopes to expand its collaboration with ReDI School, and together offer even more women a bridge to the tech sector in Denmark.

"It is often difficult for women moving to Denmark to break through in the labour market, especially in the male-dominated tech industries. Many of these women are already highly educated, but are still struggling to enter the Danish labour market. Together with TCS, we want to reach even more women so they can access the job market and get the career they deserve," says Camay Barrett, Tech Program Manager at ReDI School.

ReDI School of Digital Integration Denmark is a non-profit IT school for women with refugee and migrant backgrounds who want to strengthen their digital skills in order to be included in the Danish workplaces and society. ReDI School operates in Munich, Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia, Hamburg, Copenhagen, Aarhus, and Malmö. In 2022, 255 women were educated in Denmark.

The TCS goIT initiative, where students and adults are introduced to IT and technology, has been implemented by almost 1,000 students in Europe in 2022, including in collaboration with several schools across the Nordic countries. TCS has also donated more than 300 laptops to European organizations working with refugees from Ukraine.