CTA teams up with Horton Housing to upskill Ukrainian Refugees
Corecom Technology Academy (CTA) has teamed up with Horton Housing Association in Bradford in an initiative to train recently arrived Ukrainian citizens as software testers.
CTA is working on a special project with Horton Housing Association through the Homes for Ukraine Support Service, which aims to develop skills and opportunities to assist new arrivals to find work and further integrate into the local community. We are delighted to be supporting this by providing training to four Ukrainian women who aspire to work in Tech, despite having minimal experience in the sector, whilst engaging with local employers to find employment opportunities.
Thomas Crabtree, CTA’s Academy Director and Trainer said:
“Everything we do at CTA is about providing opportunities for people to get into Tech, so when we had the chance to work with the Horton Housing Association to provide training, opportunities, and support for people, we jumped at the chance. Providing training across technology and Quality Engineering means they’ll have highly employable skills and will be able to add value to any organisation looking for new tech talent.”
Richard Carlisle, Homes for Ukraine Manager at Horton Housing Association, added:
“This is such a fantastic opportunity for people arriving from Ukraine. Corecom Technology Academy (CTA) has been great to work with, very flexible and understanding of people’s circumstances and making the course fit around their commitments.
“The people we work with have been really keen to develop new skills and find employment so we approached CTA to ask if they could help. We were thrilled when they responded with the proposition to develop skills in the tech sector. Our first cohort, all women, have now completed their first week of training and we are already seeing a boost in confidence. On graduating, these women are going to have sought after skills that will hopefully land them with roles in the software testing sector.”
These ‘women in technology’ are taking part in a seven-week training period in Test and Quality Engineering, with the objective of them gaining employment as Junior Quality Engineers. The training is delivered through a mixture of online and in-person methods.
Alla, one of the trainees, said:
“I am very grateful to Horton Housing and Corecom Technology Academy (CTA) for this opportunity to have IT training, as I had such a dream. It is especially inspiring that CTA supports women in tech. I am from Ukraine, so English is not my native language and learning is not easy, but I enjoy it. I appreciate the chance and when I am fully trained I am looking forward to having a job.”
Corecom Technology Academy aims to have placed each of the women in technology roles by summer 2023. We will work with the organisations that they begin their Tech careers with, providing ongoing support, training and mentoring as the trainees settle into their new careers in Tech. This is as well as continually supporting the trainees in a range of ways, including ongoing learning, mentoring and career advice.