Discover iLab, an initiative that prepares new professionals to work in the technology area
iFood now has a technology talent accelerator, iLab. Thanks to him, 40 new FoodLovers (as foodtech employees are called) begin their journeys at iFood on January 17th. They all recently took courses promoted by iFood, focusing on technology.
The new initiative reinforces the company's actions to promote access to education in the area of technology and the inclusion of underrepresented groups, such as women and black people. "We understand that The first step is to form; the second, to boost the employability of these new talents”, explains Luanna Luna, Social Impact manager at iFood.
"There is a blackout in technology in the market, and we understand that the only way out is to train new professionals, develop them and accelerate this process so that they increasingly occupy new prominent positions”, he says.
According to a recent survey by Gupy (Distrito Fintech Report 2021), a company specializing in recruitment, the number of vacancies opened by fintechs, for example, grew by 466% in the first half of 2021 compared to the same period in 2020 — and vacancies in technology represented a third of new positions.
“It is also important to highlight that these talents come from iFood’s commitments in EMI (Education, Environment and Inclusion), with a focus on people from underrepresented groups. We want to expand this access to the technology market”, says Luanna. As an example, she cites the program Tech Power, whose capillarity covers all states in the country.
Career evolution
“The objective of iLab is to really accelerate the careers of these professionals so that, in six months, they can progress from junior to full-time in their careers”, explains Jackeline Camillo, People Development manager at iFood. “To this end, they will receive mentoring, synchronous classes and guidance from technical leaders, as well as additional training with classes in English, Portuguese and Mathematical Logic, which are important skills for understanding programming.”
New FoodLovers
“If you asked 18-year-old Silvano what he was going to be when he grew up, I believe the answer would be 'work in a local store'”, explains Silvano Pereira, one of the new FoodLovers. He is from Mostardas, a municipality in Rio Grande do Sul with around 13 thousand inhabitants. Having graduated in civil engineering – and working in the area – it was the pandemic that made him rethink his career and decide to enter the technology field.
“I want to contribute so that, with each passing day, iFood positively impacts the lives of more and more people. I want to give back for this opportunity I'm receiving! I was looking for a job opportunity, and iFood gave me much more: I will have the opportunity to work and with support to boost this learning”, he says.
The pandemic also changed the trajectory of Donovan Társis. Just before the restrictions imposed by Covid-19, he worked installing, cleaning and maintaining air conditioners in commercial and industrial buildings. With the closure of businesses, he took advantage of his “free time” to dedicate himself to online studies.
“I started researching so much about topics related to programming that an announcement came about for a scholarship from a partnership between iFood and Cubos Academy. It was the perfect chance for me to really start in the technology field”, he says. “Being a FoodLover is a unique feeling, knowing that I am part of something big that is changing the world. We are in a place where not even the sky is the limit.”
Read more:
Feeding the future of the world, with Education- iFood launches technology training and employability platform for socially vulnerable people
- Why invest in training young people in technology?
- Potência Tech: more women and black people in the technology area
