Initiative acts to:

• Enhancing women’s and girls’ access to TVET programmes and providing equal opportunities in the world of work
• Improving skills education through use of technology and preparing learners for a digital world

Initiative description
In 2014, Laboratoria, a Lima-based web development company became aware of the lack of female software developers in Peru and decided to set up a six-month training course for women, called Code Academy. The course is offered exclusively to young women from low-income backgrounds. Trainees’ families are actively involved throughout the programme, ensuring the trainees are supported, which has resulted in a high retention rate. The demand-driven curriculum ensures that the skills taught in the course match the needs of the labour market. Over two thirds (80 per cent) of the course graduates find employment within three months of completing the programme, and the relatively high salaries of web developers has seen a tripling of the incomes of many graduates. As of 2017, the programme is funded by donors, but Laboratoria has established a tuition repayment system that should enable the programme to become financially self-sustaining.

Futher references:

• Post on the OECD blog regarding Laboratoria
• Blog of Laboratoria