Technology has long been a predominantly male-dominated industry. According to UNESCO’s report, “Cracking the code: girls’ and women’s education in STEM,” only 35% of students enrolled in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs in higher education are women.
This same study also reported that only 3% of women in higher education choose to pursue a career in Information and Communication Technologies. This alarming gender gap and disparity signals a need for collaboration among tech companies to develop mechanisms that enhance technical training opportunities for women.
Aware of this need, Wizeline Academy and Microsoft Azure have launched the Cloud Skills Challenge: Women’s Edition, which aims to reduce the gender gap in the tech sector. This initiative will give women engineers across Latin America and other parts of the world a chance to develop their technical skills in cloud technologies, in turn helping them gain a competitive advantage and access to better job opportunities in the market.
Participants can sign up online for free, track their learning progress in Microsoft Learn, and view their scores on a leaderboard. All registered students have until July 19 to complete as many of the included Microsoft Azure modules as they can. The top 100 participants will earn a 100% voucher for the Microsoft Azure certification exam.
“For this project, Wizeline Academy has partnered with Microsoft Azure to offer training to women in our communities, in Latin America and other regions. We’re committed to upscaling women’s skills, which helps them to be more competitive and lead in the tech sector,” explained Carolina Navarro, Head of Wizeline Academy.
“Empowering women to develop a career in tech is imperative for Wizeline. It is Wizeline Academy’s mission to provide learning tools to underrepresented groups with a gender perspective. It is through collaboration with our partners, like Microsoft Azure, that we deliver the best training opportunities to the tech ecosystem,” said Ricardo Tapia, Corporate Public Affairs and Diversity & Inclusion Manager at Wizeline.
“We are facing a huge challenge in closing both the gender gap and the skills gap in LATAM. With this challenge, we are working toward achieving our collective vision of a competitive and skilled LATAM,” said Isaac Carradas, Product Marketing Manager at Microsoft.
The Cloud Skills Challenge began on May 25. All registered participants have until July 19 to get as many points as possible to become one of the 100 winners who will receive a voucher for the Microsoft Azure certification exam.
Registration to participate in the Cloud Skills Challenge: Women’s Edition is currently open. You can apply here: https://bit.ly/3ghreiM.
For further information, contact academy@wizeline.com.
