Kainos and Defra team up to host Microsoft data science bootcamp for women

As part of a wider programme of events to celebrate International Women's Day on 8^th March, and to attract and upskill women in technology, Kainos is hosting a free Data Science bootcamp in conjunction with its customer, Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra). To be held in Kainos' Birmingham office on Thursday 21^st May, the bootcamp is designed to bring to life Kainos' vision of encouraging women from different backgrounds and various skillsets to engage in technology. The event is designed to appeal to women who wish to retrain or are returning to work after a career break, and so is open to everyone, with no pre-qualifying criteria. This year, Kainos has returned as one of 29 Microsoft partners hosting events across 17 locations, a considerable increase from last year's eight partner events in nine cities, demonstrating both the need and appetite for such initiatives. In 2020, the event has places for 466 women across the UK. The event in Birmingham will feature inspirational talks by female Data staff from Kainos and Defra, as well as technical sessions delivered by Microsoft experts. Colette Kidd, Chief People Officer at Kainos, said 'We're delighted to be teaming up with Defra and Microsoft to help women pursue a new, rewarding and creative career in Data Science. Kainos has a long-established reputation for encouraging and enabling all kinds of people to pursue a career in technology. As a business that continues to grow both rapidly and sustainably, Kainos has fantastic development opportunities for Data Engineers and Scientists.' Gerry Kaspers, Portfolio Director at Defra, said 'Building a diverse and inclusive workforce is one of the Civil Service's top staff priorities and we're pleased to be partnering with Kainos for this digital skills bootcamp. Kainos and Defra are united in their mission to bring more women into technology. Through this event, we hope to inspire many women to realise the exciting potential of a career in technology.' To find out more and to apply, click here. Note: Kainos and Microsoft are continuing to monitor the COVID-19 situation in relation to this event still going ahead and will provide ongoing updates.