Ladies Learning Code has announced an official partnership with Scotiabank.
Through the partnership, LLC will launch code:clubs, a program meant to be facilitated by non-technical educators and youth program managers within schools and existing community groups. Ladies Learning Code co-executive director Melissa Sariffodeen said the code:clubs initiative part of LLC’s mission to reach 20,000 learners by 2020.
As the Scotiabank Digital Factory — the bank’s FinTech incubator — is set to open in mid-2016, the partnership seems to be part of an overall strategy to become a bigger player in the innovation scene in Canada. Major banks like TD, which is partnering with Cisco in its innovation centre, and CIBC, which has partnered with FinTech startups like Thinking Capital, have already taken steps to become a more grassroots part of the community.
While the focus of the partnership will be on supporting code:clubs, LLC will also collaborate with Scotiabank’s women’s networks and engage volunteers from across Scotiabank to mentor at LLC programs for adult and youth.
At the same time, Scotiabank will benefit from LLC promoting Scotiabank jobs on it job board, being featured on LLC’s quarterly sponsor series, and the promotion of Scotiabank initiatives in the LLC community.
“Scotiabank is a great partner for us for a few reasons. They understand the importance of technology and innovation; the Digital Factory is just one example. They are also strongly committed to creating opportunities that enable their employees to reach their full potential and this involves supporting women especially across their organization,” said Sariffodeen. “The partnership also allows us to leverage key talent and expertise to guide the strategic direction of our organization in 2016.”