KKR and Code First: Girls Announce Partnership on 20:20 Campaign to Train 20,000 Women to Code
November 21 2017 - 3:00AM
Business Wire
KKR, a leading global investment firm, today announced a
partnership with Code First: Girls, a multi award-winning
U.K.-based social enterprise focused on diversity and skills in the
technology sector. Launching in December 2017, KKR will support
Code First: Girls’ 20:20 campaign which aims to train 20,000 women
to code for free by the end of 2020.
The firm will provide a significant yearly financial commitment
throughout the course of the campaign, in addition to leveraging
its global resources, network and portfolio of companies to provide
operational and logistical support for the program’s roll-out of
community courses. Additionally, select female KKR employees,
portfolio company employees or strategic partners will be able to
participate annually in Code First: Girls’ community coding
courses. This partnership will bring the program to life within KKR
and help develop critical tech skills for women in the firm’s
network.
Women are currently underrepresented in the U.K. technology
sector. In 2017, looking at tech and telco professionals in the
U.K., only 3.9% were female programmers and software developers, a
number that has gone down from 10% in 2007. Code First: Girls is
working to redress the imbalance by helping women develop the
coding and leadership skills they need to fill these roles and
increase their representation in tech and entrepreneurship, for
their benefit and also for the benefit of the U.K. digital economy.
The 20:20 campaign builds on Code First: Girls’ achievements in
teaching over 5,000 women to code in the last three years, drawing
on that success and significantly expanding its scope.
“KKR is a major tech investor both in the U.K. and around the
world, so we know firsthand how important technology is to the
future success and prosperity of the U.K. and Europe,” said
Jean-Pierre Saad, Director in KKR’s TMT team in London. “More
generally, coding is becoming an increasingly important skill that
should be available equally to all, regardless of gender. We are
hence delighted to partner with a pioneering organisation like Code
First: Girls and support them in tackling gender diversity in tech
which we believe will drive better outcomes for businesses and our
communities.”
Amali de Alwis, CEO of Code First: Girls, said: “One of the
biggest barriers to women entering the tech industry is education,
and our 20:20 campaign is designed to address this by providing
skills that are critical to the digital economy. Our partnership
with a leading investment firm like KKR, which has such a deep and
wide network with companies in the U.K. and worldwide, is a
fantastic opportunity for our organisation. Their support is key to
us delivering our 20:20 campaign.”
The partnership with Code First: Girls is the latest initiative
born out of KKR’s citizenship efforts as part of the firm's
continued focus on Inclusion and Diversity, which began with KKR's
Inclusion and Diversity Council (IDC) founded in 2014 to help
realise a goal of creating a more diverse workplace.
In London, KKR has been a long-standing partner with Impetus –
PEF, an organisation which provides funding, operational expertise
and management support to charities and social enterprises working
with disadvantaged young people. In the U.S., KKR is a proud
partner of SEO, the TEAK Fellowship, and Girls Who Code, a similar
initiative to Code First: Girls that is working to increase the
representation of women in technology.
About KKR
KKR is a leading global investment firm that manages multiple
alternative asset classes, including private equity, energy,
infrastructure, real estate, credit and, through its strategic
manager partnerships, hedge funds. KKR aims to generate attractive
investment returns by following a patient and disciplined
investment approach, employing world-class people, and driving
growth and value creation with KKR portfolio companies. KKR invests
its own capital alongside its partners' capital and provides
financing solutions and investment opportunities through its
capital markets business. References to KKR’s investments may
include the activities of its sponsored funds. For additional
information about KKR & Co. L.P. (NYSE: KKR), please visit
KKR's website at www.kkr.com and on Twitter @KKR_Co.
About Code First: Girls
Code First: Girls, is a multi-award winning social enterprise
which works with companies and women to increase the proportions of
women in tech. They do this by running free coding courses for
young women, paid courses for men and women, by advising companies
on tech talent, and by running a community of 6000+ women who are
interested in tech.
They are the largest provider of free in person coding courses
for women in the U.K. Over the past 3 years they’ve delivered £2.5
million+ worth of free tech education, taught 5000+ women how to
code for free, and have helped companies to recruit and train
better tech talent in their firms. www.codefirstgirls.org.uk,
@CodeFirstGirls
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171121005076/en/
KKRAlastair ElwenFinsburyPhone: +44(0)20 7251 3801Email:
alastair.elwen@finsbury.comorCode First:GirlsNikki
KriegerEmail: professionals@codefirstgirls.org.uk
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