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A New Approach to Changing the Ratio in Tech-Breaking Barriers Through Open Source

Published Oct 28, 2019

Updated Feb 14, 2023

2 min read

This article was written over 18 months ago and may contain information that is out of date. Some content may be relevant but please refer to the relevant official documentation or available resources for the latest information.

This Dot launches the open source apprentice program in hopes of creating a more inclusive tech community.

This Dot, a prominent female-run development consultancy, announces the launch of their Open Source Apprentice Program which provides a pathway for companies to invest in changing the ratio in tech.

While boot camps have helped underrepresented minorities get into tech averaging a 43% female and 25% black/latino demographic (Course Report), only half of those who graduate are able to find employment in a reasonable time (Dice).

As the diversity ratio continues to be off-balance, the money supporting open source development in companies like Google and Microsoft continues to grow exponentially. It makes business sense; Google’s open source framework Angular averages over 1.5 million users monthly and Facebook’s open source library React supports over 20 million monthly downloads.

With This Dot’s Open Source Apprentice Program, companies can direct the extensive work needed to be done to support users of these technologies to the pipeline of women in tech waiting for a chance to get in the door of their first tech job.

The program provides a myriad of solutions, including a diverse pipeline, candidate vetting to prevent interview bias from hiring managers, and mentorship needed to create inclusive environments for new developers to thrive.

“This is a great way for companies to invest their development dollars. Tell us your objectives, and we will work with you to get the work done through our apprentices. We hope companies see this as not only a business solution but also a way to change their diversity ratios now. The best part about the program is that, you can hire our apprentices after working with them.” says Tracy Lee, Lead at This Dot Labs.

This Dot has successful growing partnerships and contributions with multiple open source projects associated with Airbnb, Preact, Vue, NgRx, NativeScript, Angular, VMWare, Treebo Hotels, Applitools, and that list continues to grow weekly.

Brandon Roberts, a maintainer of NgRx and a member of Google’s Angular team says, “working with a URM to get a PR submitted couldn’t have turned out any better. They were very responsive, open to feedback, and quick to handle the requested changes throughout the process.”

“The apprentice program is not just for open source projects. In fact, if your company has dollars they’d like to spend on consulting, we are happy to partner with you to do the work.” says Eva Howe of This Dot.

To find out more about the Open Source Apprentice Program, contact This Dot at hirethefempire@thisdot.co or submit an inquiry at http://thisdot.co/hirethefempire.

This Dot is a consultancy dedicated to guiding companies through their modernization and digital transformation journeys. Specializing in replatforming, modernizing, and launching new initiatives, we stand out by taking true ownership of your engineering projects.

We love helping teams with projects that have missed their deadlines or helping keep your strategic digital initiatives on course. Check out our case studies and our clients that trust us with their engineering.

About the author(s)

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A New Approach to Changing the Ratio in Tech-Breaking Barriers Through Open Source

This Dot

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