The Girl Code is a free training program created by Ex.C.E.L. Learning Corporation for women as young as 13 to learn industry-ready skills and become IT certified. This curriculum focuses on computer science fundamentals by teaching popular coding languages like Python, SQL, R, HTML, JSON, etc. Participants also learn popular technologies such as Tableau, AWS, Google Cloud, Azure, etc. We designed this initiative to bridge the access gap for women by providing accessible, engaging, and comprehensive coding education. Our program focuses on demystifying technology and breaking down the stereotypes that deter women from engaging in STEM. The Girl Code aims to inspire confidence and interest in technology by fostering an inclusive environment and providing role models. We provide training, access, and certification support for girls and women interested in IT. In addition to software and platform technical skills, The Girl Code emphasizes problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration through solving real-world problems and using real-world datasets and coding modules. These are skills that are essential in any career.

Our program is different because it’s flexible in that participants can explore various fields and choose the one that best suits their personality and interests. They can participate at no cost to them. They can cultivate their skills and learn more about what it takes to be a part of the industry. This program will also feature mentorships and internships for qualified candidates.

About The Program & Eligibility

This is a year-long program. We have partnered with CompTIA®, DataCamp®, and other industry leaders to provide training and certification for the program participants. Participants must apply and be selected for the program as part of our agreement with our programmatic partners. This ensures they can access the platforms as part of our reduced rate agreements. To be eligible for participation, applications must meet several programmatic qualifications:

  • Must live in the United States (preference is given to women who live in Arizona.)
  • Self-identifies as a woman or female (non-binary is also acceptable)
  • Age 13 and up (participants 13 – 17 do require parental consent per user agreements with our programmatic partners)
  • Meets one of the following income eligibility guidelines:
    • unemployed
    • underemployed (i.e., insufficient hours, low hourly wage, etc.)
    • low income (defined as living below the poverty line)
    • disabled or have a disability
    • historically disadvantaged minority
    • refugee of war and/or victim of environmental disaster

Benefits of Enrolling

The Girl Code program provides participants with the fundamental knowledge of coding languages such as Python, SQL, HTML, CSS, and R. This forms the foundation of any practical IT career. Participants also learn key knowledge in visualization, data analysis, logic, etc. The goal is for participants to be ready for an entry-level position in computer technology and/or information systems or to continue to pursue a post-graduate degree in this area. As a participant of the program, upon successful completion of the core knowledge requirements, participants will receive one free voucher to sit for the following certification exams: AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner, an AWS Certified Associate Level Exam (Cloud Developer, Solutions Architect, SysOps Administrator, or Data Engineer), a CompTIA fundamentals exam (A+ parts 1 and 2, Network+, DataSys+), GCP Cloud Engineer Associate, and a Microsoft Azure fundamentals level exam (Azure Data Fundamentals, Azure AI Fundamentals, Security, Compliance, and Identity Fundamentals, or Azure Fundamentals).

Expectations

Participants must meet specific program expectations to be successful. They are eligible to reapply if they must withdraw due to approved reasons. As part of our agreement, licenses may be redistributed if an eligible participant withdraws before month 5 of the program. To ensure that participants can meet knowledge expectations for certification, we do not redistribute licenses after month 4.

Participants are expected to have an email address, access to a large format device (with a screen of 7” or greater), and reliable internet for the duration of the program. They participate in four (4) hours of live training, face-to-face or virtually weekly. This may be during a Saturday session or weekday for two (2) hours twice a week. They can have up to two (2) hours of homework weekly. This correlates to a total time commitment of six (6) hours a week. Currently, we are working with several providers to have participants eligible for college credit upon completion of the certification exams.

Special Thanks to our Partners: