TCS expands goIT initiative

TCS delivers IT- and coding training to both school children at Children's International School Sarpsborg and women from minority population groups through Norway-based INNO-SCI School of programming – giving even more people the opportunity to develop their digital skills through goIT.

During the first quarter of 2023, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has organized IT- and coding courses through what they call “goIT - Go Innovate Together” at both Children's International School Sarpsborg and INNO-SCI School of programming in Bergen. TCS has been delivering the goIT program in schools since 2017 and this year has also started collaboration with the educational center, INNO-SCI to offer adult training as well.

School students solve UN’s sustainability goals through coding

GoIT has previously been carried out at Oslo International School and Jordal Skole, among others. The program aims to give young students a taste of what it is like to work with IT and coding.

As part of the program, the students have been asked to develop an idea for an app - with a focus on solving a problem linked to one of the UN's sustainability goals. The idea has then been drafted, prototyped and finally coded into an app.

- There is no doubt that we will need more people with IT competence in the future. This new generation has a completely different relationship with technology and has an incredible ability to learn. But there are many who do not necessarily think of IT and coding as a possible career path for them in the future. With the goIT program, we hope to stimulate an interest in IT and technology among more children, says Rajan Maheshwari, Country Head TCS Norway.

The program has proven popular both among the children and the teachers. Over time, TCS hopes to be able to offer a "train the teacher" program as well, to allow teachers to receive training as well, so that they can run these courses on their own with future classes.

- GoIT is an incredibly cool program. It has brought out a lot of energy and enthusiasm among the students and it has been incredibly fun to see all the creative ideas they have come up with. They have both had the chance to think creatively, while at the same time working towards a real sustainability goal. This is certainly something we want to do again with more students, says Conor Lee, Head of School at Children's International School Sarpsborg.

TCS enters into a partnership with INNO-SCI - helping more women gain access to the tech industry

In addition, TCS has also offered goIT courses for women from minority population groups in collaboration with INNO-SCI in Norway. INNO-SCI offers education and courses in STEM subjects (Science Technology Engineering Mathematics) to young adults who want to acquire new industry skills. They collaborate with several other large companies, such as Microsoft and Amazon, who also offer industry certification. This year, TCS has joined the ranks and is now offering goIT training.

- INNO-SCI has already achieved a lot in the short time since they started in 2020. Important work is being done here to give those who are interested the opportunity to develop these skills, regardless of where you come from or what kind of background you have. It is incredibly inspiring to take part and collaborate on this, says Maheshwari.

This spring, twelve women participated in goIT digital courses to develop competence in digital innovation. INNO-SCI seeks to create opportunities for anyone who shows interest and commitment, and through the goIT collaboration they are working actively to help women from migrant backgrounds and refugees living in Norway to gain access to the job market in Norway.

- It is often difficult for women who move to Norway to break through in the labor market, especially in the male-dominated tech professions. Many of these women have both bachelor's and master's degrees in relevant fields, but still struggle to make it into the job market. We are currently missing 40.000 IT jobs in Norway and therefore we need all hands on board to build skilled workers to fill these gaps, says Eunice Hammond-Mørklid, founder of INNO-SCI.Through goIT, we want to equip these women with the necessary skills and tools so that they too can gain access to build capital – to enable them to work in critical sectors and contribute to the workplace, the economy and society in general.

About TCS’s CSR work:

We believe in building greater futures by connecting people to opportunities in the digital economy. The work we do is driven toward creating a fairer and more equitable world for all.

TCS goIT initiative, where students are introduced to IT and Tech, have involved almost 1000 students in Europe in 2022, and in the Nordics TCS is working with INNO-SCI School in Norway, Dibber in Norway, ReDI School in Denmark and Sweden and Tanto International School in Sweden. TCS in Europe has also donated more than 300 laptops to organizations working with refugees from Ukraine, 100 of them to ReDI School in Sweden.

TCS has carried out Community Innovation projects in several of the markets where they have offices. Among other things, they have assisted Ecpat in Sweden, Business for Peace in Norway and Astrid Lindgren’s Children’s Hospital in Sweden.

TCS’ strategic CSR programs served 2.04 million people in 2022, among them 1.1 million women, 580k youth and 1.3 million marginalized people.

About INNO‐SCI

INNO-SCI is developing a world class innovation & technology skills programme to better serve women to gain the much‐needed career support with the goal to increase the skilled talent pool of Women in IT. INNO‐SCI provides STEM related youth empowerment programs that stimulate and promote creative thinking and digital skills in young people (10 ‐ 34 yrs. old), women and businesses. They are a forum for young entrepreneurs to engage with each other and connect with various leaders, cooperations, and establishments. The INNO‐SCI Centre is an innovative and modern learning experience. It offers studying conditions at high quality standards. The INNO‐SCI Centre is a project to satisfy the demands of the future.

About Children’s International School Sarpsborg

Children's International School Sarpsborg is an authorized International Baccalaureate World School for grades between 1 to 10 with an extended Arts programme and integration of educational technology. CIS Sarpsborg offers a continuum of international education and encourages both personal and academic achievement, challenging students to excel in their studies and in their personal development.

CIS Sarpsborg is a part of The Dibber Family. Dibber is Northern Europe’s most trusted and largest provider of Early Childhood Education, with over 600 pre-schools and schools located in 10 different countries.