Overlay
Data & technology

Royal Bank of Scotland & Code First Girls partner to offer displaced Ukrainian women opportunities in Coding & Software Engineering

Royal Bank of Scotland has partnered with Code First Girls, the largest provider of free coding courses and linked employment opportunities for women in the UK, to launch a bespoke recruitment drive for displaced female Ukrainians.

The programme is a first-of-its-kind in Scotland and will provide valuable career opportunities for displaced women in coding and software engineering.

Opportunities for up to 60 women will be available from Wednesday, 22nd March with recruitment centres taking place at the Ukrainian Community Centre, Royal Terrace Edinburgh as well as the Leith Ukrainian refugee accommodation aboard the MS Victoria cruise liner.

The programme will provide training and skills development over an initial 8 week period, with the opportunity for trainees to study for a full Code First Girls degree and secure permanent roles with Royal Bank of Scotland.

The partnership with Code First Girls is an extension of Royal Bank’s commitment to helping displaced Ukrainians. The war in Ukraine has created an urgent need to support thousands of displaced families and individuals. Throughout the past year, the bank has partnered with Edinburgh City Council and the Scottish Government to open a Welcome Centre within their headquarters. To date, the site has distributed over 10,000 welcome packs and will typically see up to 2000 children’s toothbrushes, 4,000 books and 2,000 sanitary packs handed out in one month alone.

Code First Girls is dedicated to reducing the gender diversity gap in tech globally by giving more women the opportunity to learn new skills and pursue great careers in tech. To date, they have delivered £75 million worth of free technology education in the UK and have provided free education and employment opportunities for more than 110,000 women.

 

Wincie Wong, Head of Workforce Technical Capability, Digital X at Royal Bank of Scotland, said: "As a bank we recognise that we have a unique opportunity to utilise our resources and influence real change to improve lives in Scotland.

“Our latest partnership with Code First Girls allows us to continue our commitment to helping displaced Ukrainians and empowering women in their careers. Through the programme, we will provide bespoke coding and software engineering as well as opportunities to gain work experience and be supported into employment.

"We’re a relationship bank in a digital world and we recognise the need to continually attract and retain a talented and diverse technology workforce. Building Scotland’s coding and software engineering sector will be vital to reach our full potential as a nation and we can’t wait to see what our inaugural group will achieve”.

 

Anna Brailsford, CEO of Code First Girls, said: "We are thrilled to partner with Royal Bank to offer this new opportunity for displaced Ukrainian women to learn new skills and embark on a career path in coding and software engineering.

"We believe that by empowering women in technology, we can help to build a more diverse and inclusive industry that is better equipped to meet the demands of today and innovate for the future."

 

For further information, media interviews or case studies please contact Charlotte Sparling or Tom Hallam at Stripe Communications on NWScotland@stripecommunications.com / 07772467948 / 07590333253

Notes to Editors

About the Royal Bank of Scotland  

Royal Bank of Scotland has paved the way in banking ever since it was established in 1727. From the world’s first overdraft and the first house purchase loan by a UK bank to the first fully-fledged internet banking service and mobile banking app, the bank has a history of making life easier for its customers. Across Scotland, the Royal Bank of Scotland has teams of TechXperts and community bankers offering customers the support and the skills to make the most of online and mobile banking.

scroll to top