Democratizing access to knowledge for low-income people and offering training in backend development focused on Data Science are some of the objectives of the VAMO Aí program. The iFood initiative, in partnership with Resilia Educação (specialized in training and relocating professionals in the technology area over a period of up to six months), started with a class of 35 students and graduated 29 in July this year. Of the total, 27 are already employed, 24 of them by the foodtech itself. Below, discover the story of two former VAMO AÍ students who are now officially FoodLovers – as iFood employees are called.
“I dream of becoming the owner of a unicorn”
It was the end of 2020 and the certainty of the pandemic continued around the world. For Inajá Morais, 46, the Instagram feed was her biggest companion to kill time since she lost her job. Between one post and another, he saw the post of Vamo Aí, an iFood program in partnership with Resilia to train low-income people, preferably women and black people, in backend development.
In Sorocaba, in the interior of São Paulo, Inajá grew up admiring the steps of her father and sister and, like them, set out in search of a career in Law. The desire to change the world was what was beating strong in her chest, and she pursued a career in the Civil and Business areas. For ten years, his reality was facing the bureaucracy of forums, notary offices and piles of documents, in addition to court decisions that, in his own words, “benefit those who have wealth to the detriment of those most in need”.
Clicking on the Vamo Aí post brought new hope to Inajá, who was never afraid of change. When she gave up law, she delved into the events business with the help of a friend. From petit committees to dinners for 700 people, nothing seemed impossible for the size of his determination. Legal knowledge and good networking were also decisive in building Inajá's second career.
But not everything was rosy. In addition to the setbacks in the market, Inajá says that she always needed to overcome prejudice in the job market. “I am a black, lesbian woman over 40 years old. It is essential that companies invest in diversity to have a more real picture of life”, he states.
When she was approved in the VAMO AÍ selection, she found herself once again in a completely different world. “It was difficult to adapt to the new ways of learning, but the help of my classmates, in addition to the support of the Resilia facilitators, were essential for me to not give up on the endeavor.”
The course, whose objective was to train new talents, democratize access to knowledge and prepare students for careers focused on Artificial intelligence, lasted six months. After this period, Inajá was hired as an analyst by iFood and is now part of the Data Analysis area.
“I found my place in the world among data, which can be useful in all areas of life,” she says. But the twists and turns in professional life don’t stop there. Her dream is to own a unicorn by the time she is 50.
Total commitment to studies
Someone who also got a taste for technology was Ramon Brito, 26 years old. He graduated in the same class as Inajá. “I want to pursue a career in the data area. The project changed my life”, says he, who was hired to work in the Analythics area at iFood Benefícios.
He says that no one in his family had achieved a similar opportunity until then. “I’m black and I came from public school. I study electronic engineering, but I accessed the university through quotas. For me, it has always been very difficult to achieve things”, he says.
According to him, the Data Science course at Vamo Aí was one of the biggest challenges of his life, as he had not yet mastered the programming area. Unemployed – and, therefore, without income – he dedicated himself completely to training, with a strict study routine and dedication to understanding all the content. The course, which has a workload of 500 hours, includes classes and technical and professional iFood mentoring via videoconference and participation in iFood lectures. “Everything I’m living is a dream.”
From the beginning of the course, Ramon knew he would have the opportunity to be called for an interview at iFood. But he preferred not to create expectations so as not to be disappointed if he was not selected. Now, officially a FoodLover – as iFood employees are called – he says: “It’s as if I were literally living in the world of clouds”.
Innovative methodology and mentoring
Now, the 24 students hired by iFood will use what they learned on the course in various areas of the company, such as marketing, delivery and innovation. “The project trains talents through an innovative methodology, mentoring and business programs that guarantee professionals prepared for the challenges of the technology area”, says Renata Citron, head of Education at iFood.
By 2025, the company's goal is to train and train 25 thousand people to work in the technology area. One of the criteria required for the selection of participants in VAMO AÍ is to have a family income of less than R$ 4 thousand.
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