A successful careers fair in Peckham last year is set to return this year where they specifically help black woman into the technically world of coding.
It started in 2017 with a meet-up group – a support network, if you like, for female and non-binary Black coders and developers.
Behind it was Charlene Hunter, a software developer and technical architect passionate about addressing the underrepresentation of Black women in tech.
Charlene remains the CEO of what has grown to become Coding Black Females (CBF), a south London-based non-profit that some readers will be familiar with from its careers fairs at Peckham Levels, or through its wider work across Southwark.
Thanks to a mixture of its jobs board (launched in 2019) and subsequent mentor programmes, training courses and bootcamps, CBF has grown an online community of 20,000 people – 10,000 of whom have accessed events and 2,000 of whom have taken part in training opportunities.
Has the organisation’s mission changed at all over the years?
“Our mission hasn’t changed, but we now operate globally and we strive to get more Black women into the tech industry whilst recognising people who are already excelling,” explains CBF marketeer Sarah Solomon.
“Our mission is to grow the community of Black women and non-binary individuals in software development and technical roles, from entry-level to executive level. We aim to remove the barriers to enter the industry and progress within roles.”
Coding Black Females
As for how the organisation funds itself, there are several strands: funding grants to support its programmes; company sponsorship and partnerships; donations; advertising via its jobs board; and even merchandise.
There’s a membership arm of the organisation, too.
“Anyone can join the CBF community free of charge. Members have the opportunity to find out about job opportunities, can take part in mentorship programs, undertake bootcamps and short courses to enhance their tech skills, and attend a variety of in person and online events where they can network and learn from tech industry professionals,” explains Sarah.
Looking into 2024 and beyond, the plan for CBF is that it will continue to widen its network.
“We have a target to provide training to 10,000 Black women with 75% of them gaining new technical roles in tech whilst also ensuring that we see more Black women moving into leadership through our development programmes,” says Sarah.
Far from serving only south London, “we will also be opening up CBF chapters globally to ensure that we have more impact around the world,” she adds.
One of the main ways CBF grows its network is through its careers fairs – iterations of which run both in person and online.
“The physical interaction with other organisations and peers is what makes our careers fairs impactful,” affirms Celma Gaspar, Partnership Manager at CBF.
Coding Black Females
“As much as the remote world is convenient, the opportunity to be in an environment with like-minded people is empowering. It also gives the community confidence to connect with each other and network with people in the industry.
“They get to ask as many questions as they like and get a better experience when listening to the talks and panel discussions which you can’t get from behind a screen,” she says.
The group’s most recent careers fair, held in November 2023, saw 130 people attend the physical event at Peckham Levels, and a further 190 log-in online for virtual workshops and talks.
Adding to the prestige of these events is the chance for attendees to hear from professionals, who share their stories, offer advice and some of whom also run CV surgeries.
“We invite professionals who have experience in doing talks that are related to career development and employability,” says Celma.
“We also invite organisations who we have worked with in the past who have shown an interest in supporting our events. They all do it for free and we allow them to also showcase their businesses, so it’s a win-win situation,” she adds, stressing: “for corporate partners, we ask for sponsorships to help us run the event.”
The chief hope for the careers events is that they’ll arm attendees with the confidence to pursue a career in tech, “and that they go away with enough information on the opportunities available to them,” says Celma.
“For those already in training, we hope they get the skills and knowledge on how to create a great tech CV and stand out in applications.
“We also hope those who are in tech roles are aware of the different roles and industries available, and how they can advance their skills to become leaders,” she points out.
“There is so much that they can gain from coming to our Careers Fairs and the whole aim is to empower and encourage Black women to thrive in the tech industry.”
For more information about Coding Black Females, visit: www.codingblackfemales.com/.
Coding Black Females will be running their next Careers Week from February 26 – March 1 2024, with lots of resources online.
Coding Black Females’ next careers fair at Peckham Levels is taking place on March 7, 6pm – 9:30pm.
Admission: FREE.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/careers-fair-london-2024-tickets-777236634697?aff=ebdsoporgprofile
