The technology sector is one of those that has grown the most -and continues to grow- in recent years, leading the digital transformation in the world and in Latin America. Therefore, the demand for talent in technology is enormous. According to the consulting firm Michael Page, by 2025 3.5 million professionals specialized in STEM will be required in Latin America, a significant demand for talent but which also shows the existing gender gap in this industry: less than 20% of technological vacancies in Latin America are occupied by the female gender.
In Colombia, according to figures from the Fedesoft IT Observatory and the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, the talent gap in the IT sector is 53,000 professionals and it is estimated that the demand for talent will reach 200,000 vacancies by 2025. Meanwhile, Fedesoft says that only 35 percent of the ICT sector is made up of women.
For this reason, Laboratoria -an organization that seeks to train and promote the employability of more women in the tech sector- launches the first edition of Talent Fest Latam, an event that will bring together nearly 35 companies and more than 1,500 people around diversity in innovation and technology in the region. This instance will be a great opportunity for companies that are interested in hiring female tech talent and contributing to diversity and inclusion in the industry, as they will be able to meet and connect with graduates of Laboratoria's web development bootcamp. They went through an intensive training program, learning alongside other women with diverse profiles, and now they will participate in this event working in multicultural squads, enriching their experience.
“Companies and organizations from different industries today have the need to grow their technology areas, so it is very important to ask ourselves how we want these teams to be composed and the role of women in them. Leaving women out not only fosters the gap, but also affects the economies of Latin America, losing the development of digital products that can be really useful, functional and have a positive impact for everyone. In the end, more women working in technology means more women building the future of our region”, explains María Gracia Espinoza, Business Development Manager at Laboratoria.
This event -unique in Latin America-, will unite multiculturalism, innovation and talent, and will put the power of diversity to the test, breaking barriers and geographical limits. In this edition, the Talent Fest will be made up of two parts. On the one hand, there will be the congress, where the participating companies will share valuable content and learn to apply tools and market trends in matters of diversity and technology. On the other hand, a four-day hackathon (code marathon) will be held, where digital solutions to real business challenges will be developed, hand in hand with a team of web developers from Laboratoria. At the end of this hackathon week, the teams will compete in a powerful Demo Night with an international jury that will reward the best developments with first and second place.
Leading companies from various sectors will participate in the event, such as PwC, BHP, Encora, Tranzact, Walmart, BCP, Dexty, Experian, Incode and Falabella, among others. Laboratoria, the organization that promotes this activity, seeks to address the challenge of digital transformation and innovation with a regional perspective and towards the future, where women can be protagonists and promoters of this development.