CodeSignal, an interview and assessment platform, has partnered with ColorStack to help drive change
Image: Unsplash
It’s no great secret that the majority of tech developers in the US are white. In fact, according to recent statistics, a staggering 64% of developers are caucasian.
When looking farther down the list, Black and Latinx developers only make up 17% combined. Now, CodeSignal and ColorStack are looking to change that through a new partnership announced this week.
CodeSignal, a technical interview and assessment platform, has partnered with ColorStack to help drive change in the developer field.
This is right up ColorStack’s alley, as it is a nonprofit tech company that looks to lift Black and Latinx computer science students by helping them not only get degrees but find placement in the workforce.
CodeSignal and ColorStack have outlined their plan in a press release detailing the partnership:
- Mentorship and technical interview preparation activities for Black and Latinx Computer Science students.
- Preparation resources and practice assessments for active ColorStack members. Students will use CodeSignal as a tool to help hone their coding and interview preparation skills.
- Co-hosted webinars and events to help technical recruiters and university recruiters hire and retain more Black and Latinx developers.
- Research on CodeSignal assessments based on student feedback and performance that will help increase assessment fairness and validity.
A diverse workforce is simply better for everyone. It helps represent those normally underrepresented in fields that have been dominated by white people and, on the business side, studies show that a more diverse workforce can generate more revenue.
Setting that foundation also leads to future generations feeling that fields that may have been viewed as out-of-reach no longer seem that way. You can look at the accounting field, and its staggeringly low number of Black CPAs, to see that in action even today.
When discussing the partnership with ColorStack, Tigran Sloyan, CodeSignal CEO and co-founder, notes, “Our mission at CodeSignal is to help companies go beyond resumes by reducing bias in their hiring and helping level the playing field, so they can truly assess candidates’ skills. We are proud to partner with ColorStack to support their work in providing equal opportunity for underrepresented Computer Science students and new grad developers.”