Making an impact with our tech outreach in 2022-2023
At Kainos, we’re passionate about empowering the next generation of technology leaders.
Through our tech outreach programmes, we engaged over 1800 young people from April 2022 to March 2023. Aligned to the UN Sustainability Goal for Quality Education, we’re committed to delivering inclusive learning programmes with a focus on coding, artificial intelligence, cyber security and intelligent automation. Our people are at the heart of our tech outreach programmes, sharing their skills and experience within their local community through work experience, CodeCamp, Code Clubs, and more.
Read more about the amazing impact we’ve made with our outreach programmes over the last year, and find out how we’ve continued to engage young people and underrepresented communities and empower them in their learning.
Our amazing people tallied up a total of 507 days participating in outreach and engagement programmes from April 2022 to March 2023, more than ever before! We delivered programmes to 284 schools across the world, partnering with 17 education and community sector partners to help us reach a diverse range of communities, including our work experience partners Speakers for Schools.
Speakers for Schools is a social mobility charity helping to deliver access to high quality work experience and other resources for young people in schools across the UK from all backgrounds. In partnership with Speakers for Schools, we deliver tailored work experience sessions for pupils aged 14-19, giving 527 young people an exclusive insight into life at a thriving global tech company. We also acknowledged that women are underrepresented in STEM industries and have facilitated a number of women and girls only work experience sessions both virtually and in person in collaboration with schools in Derry-Londonderry and Birmingham to help young women benefit and receive additional encouragement to pursue their passions.
We encourage our people to make a difference in their local communities. This year, Kainos Senior Software Engineer Martin Lynch received a nomination for Tech Ambassador of the Year at the 2022 Digital DNA awards for his work in leading a Code Club in a school in Derry-Londonderry, and we launched a pilot Code Club programme in Poland for 9–13-year-olds!
Our tech outreach was also recognised on a regional and national level this year when we picked up two STEM Learning Awards: Inspirational STEM Employer and Outstanding Contribution to Widening Participation, Diversity, and Inclusion in STEM. These awards are recognition of the hard work that our mentors do within the tech outreach space. The passion, commitment and innovation that mentors bring to our programmes and activities allows us to continue to inspire junior talent and support equal access to education for underrepresented communities.
This year marked the 9th year of our Kainos CodeCamp. This year’s camp took place virtually, with mentors in Poland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain and materials delivered in English and Polish. Attendees spent a week taking their coding and computing skills to the next level and learning about AI and cybersecurity! Hear from some of our participants on their experiences.
We're preparing to celebrate 10 years of CodeCamp, launching this summer, alongside launching the first ever Kainos TechCamp in the US, Canada, and Argentina- exciting times.
This year also saw the return of BelTech EDU to Titanic Belfast for the first in-person event since 2019!
BelTech EDU is curated by Kainos and supported by other major technology employers throughout Northern Ireland. This year’s BelTech EDU event featured talks and workshops delivered by guest speakers from TikTok, Microsoft, Kainos, Hamilton Robson, and Allstate. This event engaged over 300 young people from schools across the country and generated a packed room full of ideas, enthusiasm, and some surprises as we explored new and emerging technologies like AI storytelling!
At Kainos, our people are united by our values, and these values are reflected in our work and through our corporate social responsibility. This year we collaborated with The Educational Equality Institute, an NGO based in Norway, to secure a £100,000 investment to help build a mentoring platform for Ukrainian people through the Together for Ukraine programme, which provides services for over 100,000 Ukrainians. These include:
- Buddy (mentoring) programmes
- Language courses
- Technical skills courses
- CV workshops
Experience Design Principal Nick Harewood worked with an external agency and provided guidance on the user experience of the TEEI Buddy programme, determined to make it easier for displaced Ukrainians to access the support they need to rebuild their careers. Our people also assisted with CV workshops, and ran coding workshops to help upskill participants, hoping to provide a small glimmer of hope by helping Ukrainian people to prepare for their future.
We were proud to have received some wonderful feedback from participants, including a 100% satisfaction rating on a tailored CV workshop for people aiming to develop a career in the software industry, delivered by Talent Acquisition Partner Varun Gill.
2023-2024 promises to bring a world of opportunity for our people to engage with young people, underrepresented communities, and the world around them to create positive change and inspire others. With our return to in-person work experience sessions and the launch of Kainos TechCamp in the US, Canada, and Argentina, we're looking forward to levelling up our next-level learning. To find out more about our CSR and tech outreach impact, contact us via email at CSR@kainos.com.