Gem Phan is the first recipient of a new annual scholarship program designed to kickstart the careers of women and non-binary people in software development.
Launched by Littlepay, an Australian tap-on payment developer for public transport, the scholarship is a fully-funded program that runs in partnership with Code Like A Girl. It’s designed to build the tech skills of participants and develop the careers of people who are underrepresented in the industry.
It includes two hands-on coding courses delivered by Code Like A Girl, four weeks of paid work experience with Littlepay in Melbourne, and a weekly bursary to cover living expenses or childcare.
Phan (pictured second from the right in the above image) is excited to join the scholarship program after spending much of her childhood in Vietnam and self-funding her education in tech.
“Talent and genius are evenly distributed. Opportunity is not. There are still barriers stopping so many of us from reaching the same opportunities as others, and this program is created to close gaps to some of those barriers,” said Ally Watson OAM, Founder and CEO of Code Like a Girl.
“The Littlepay Launch Pad scholarship shows a thoughtful understanding of these barriers and is an encouraging step to create more opportunity for people like Gem.”
The scholarship is particularly meaningful to the team at Littlepay, as it pays tribute to their late colleague, Mel Boyce, who was a fierce advocate for gender and inclusion in the tech industry.
Boyce, who sadly lost a battle with cancer last year, was the Head of Platform and Security at Littlepay. He is recognised for his dedication to recruiting women to join the Littlepay team. His efforts were so successful that the company now has development teams with a 60/40 ratio of women to men. In the wider tech sector, women make up just 29 per cent of the workforce.
“Mel understood that selection for merit is not always as objective as we think it is, and that by widening opportunities for more people you can find some incredible talent,” said Amin Shayan, CEO of Littlepay. “It’s not about ticking boxes on some diversity chart, it’s really about challenging our own biases so that we give deserving people the same opportunities.”
“We are fortunate at Littlepay to have a number of talented colleagues who came through programs like Code Like a Girl or Xceptional, which supports neurodivergent people in the workforce.”
Scholarships like The Launch Pad are key to supporting more women into the tech industry, Yolanda Kerr, Head of Growth APAC at The Dream Collective tells Women’s Agenda.
“The struggle to attract and retain women in tech roles is becoming increasingly challenging,” Kerr said.
“Numerous companies are vying for the same pool of female talent, and competition is fierce. Doubling down on training initiatives and embracing inclusive hiring practices enable companies to access a competitive talent advantage.
“By challenging biases within hiring processes, these companies diversify their talent pool and create environments conducive to innovation and growth. It’s a recognition of the multifaceted barriers that women encounter in the tech realm – be it structural, visual, or cultural – and a commitment to dismantling them brick by brick.”
Feature Image: Vanessa Nimmo, Platform Engineering Manager at Littlepay, Ally Watson OAM, Founder and CEO of Code Like a Girl, Chau Bao (Gem) Nguyen, Launch Pad recipient, Hadar Warshitzsky, Information Security Manager at Littlepay