March 31, 2022 
2 MIN READ 
We founded CodeOp in 2018 with a mission to solve the gender disparity in tech, and a vision to lead the charge in changing tech culture.
At the time, when we counted the number of all-women coding schools on SwitchUp, we calculated that they made up less than 1% of all in-person coding bootcamps worldwide. However, we knew then, as we still know now, that the gender disparity in tech is a chronic worldwide issue.
In the first week of launching our website in July 2018, we received our first application from a woman in Colombia. Two days later, we received another application from a woman in Nigeria. Bit by bit, we started to see that our hypothesis that many women, transgender, and nonbinary individuals were interested in learning how to code in a supportive woman & gender non-conforming led environment was being validated.
When we read their applications and heard about their goals, our bias that diversifying tech would transform the sector in ways that benefit us all was reinforced.
“As we grow, we want to ensure that we’re bridging the gap in relation to what diversity and inclusivity currently looks like in the tech industry.”
Cut to 2022: Our mission is still going strong and we’re using our expertise as a school dedicated to training diverse groups to help companies, organisations and governments with their DE&I recruitment. Our vision is a big one, and a large part of it involves working across the spectrum of diversity, in conjunction with others, to bring more underrepresented communities to tech and keep them there. CodeOp Grassroots was born out of this vital need.
As we grow, we want to ensure that we’re bridging the gap in relation to what diversity and inclusivity currently looks like in the tech industry. If we’re serious about shaping a world that reflects the real circumstances of the people around us, and moves towards something better and more equitable than what exists currently, we need to create practical solutions in which men, women, transgender, nonbinary individuals, businesses and governments come together to focus their efforts on supporting those on the margins of tech. Investing in and supporting these areas is the starting point for the overdue revolution we need in transforming this space.
With the launch of our CodeOp Grassroots initiative, we take another step towards changing the culture of tech, together with governments, companies, & organisations, acting locally to bring more underrepresented communities and individuals in need to the industry, while continuing to shape a new generation of tech leaders. The first programmes to run under CodeOp Grassroots are our SOC- EU courses and upcoming CFCC – EU REACT Fund courses.
CodeOp will, as ever, continue to focus on providing our women, transgender, and nonbinary community with the support and training they need to develop their careers in tech and become leaders in their field.
2 MIN READ