Founded in 2016, Germany’s ReDI School of Digital Integration helps refugees and underprivileged groups enter the IT field. Driven by the belief that technology can bring people together to build new solutions to old problems, the non-profit school offers tuition-free courses in Berlin, Munich and North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany; Copenhagen, Denmark; as well online.

For several years, our CGI members in Munich have worked closely with the ReDI School, providing coaching for developing resumes, or curriculum vitae (CV), donating laptops, supporting hackathons, and opening our training courses at CGI’s Central and Eastern Europe academy to ReDI students. In 2020, we began offering free courses in cybersecurity and agile scrum methods to ReDI students, as well as funding their certifications, to improve their chances of finding jobs in the IT industry. In Germany, currently there are more than 80,000 IT job openings.

By learning from CGI members, ReDI students get to interact with and develop skills from IT professionals with real-world experience. Through our support for trainings and certifications, we increase students’ confidence in job interviews and help them build strong CVs for entry-level IT jobs. To date, CGI members have trained more than 40 ReDI students, and we hope to soon expand this partnership beyond Munich.

“I attended the React Class at ReDI School of Digital Integration and then got the chance to join the Scrum training including the certification by CGI”, says Parviz, who joined the SCRUM Training in English in August. “I learned a lot in these two days and also enjoyed the interactive, fun way our trainer was presenting as well as the intense practical part. I feel much more confident to take the exam now and I am sure, this will help me on my next steps to find a job in the tech field. A big thank you to the CGI team for supporting me on my learning journey.”

At CGI, we want to use our skills from the technology sector to inspire people in their careers and to encourage them to work in technology. We are actively engaged in creating and sustaining talent through education programs and by collaborating with institutions around the globe. We also believe that a more diverse, equitable and inclusive member community drives stronger business performance.

To learn more, visit https://www.cgi.com/en/corporate-social-responsibility/careers