Promising and Innovative Practices in TVET

Laboratoria, a Lima-based web development company, observed a 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 income of many graduates. The programme is funded by donors, but Laboratoria has established a tuition repayment system that should enable the programme to become financially self-sustaining.