ThoughtWorks Concludes Fourth Edition of Vapasi – an Initiative that Brings Technical Women Back to Work

ThoughtWorks, a global software consultancy recently concluded its fourth edition of the Vapasi program – a ThoughtWorks India initiative. The program encourages women developers who are currently on a career break, to re-enter the world of programming. Bengaluru’s Vapasi 2018 edition was an intensive 3-week boot camp on Java and object-oriented programming. This particular edition saw 22 participants enroll and complete the program, with 9 of the participants being shortlisted for a 2-month internship program with ThoughtWorks. Post the internship, candidates are eligible to apply for full-time positions at ThoughtWorks.

Commenting on Vapasi, Savita Hortikar, Head of Recruitment, ThoughtWorks India said, “ThoughtWorks has always been passionate about diversity. We recognize that an inclusive work environment built around driven professionals is the answer to sustainable organizational growth. We are happy that the Vapasi program is empowering women technologists to re-enter the workforce and continue their careers.” She further added. “Vapasi is also a platform for women technologists to network, connect with role models and become active members of the tech community.”

This year, ThoughtWorks successfully completed two editions of the program for a total of 44 participants - 22 in Bengaluru and 22 in Pune (conducted in early 2018). Both programs had zero dropouts. Also, the Pune edition saw 5 participants being offered an internship program with ThoughtWorks out of which, 3 are now full-time technologists at the company.

Elizabeth Nisha James, a technologist for more than 6 years, and returning from a 4-year career break had this to say about her experience at Vapasi, "The program has been a life-changing experience. I rediscovered the ‘coder in me’ and was given both, the opportunity and guidance to get back on track with my career.”

Sethuraman Ramasubramanian, Lead Consultant at ThoughtWorks and Vapasi Trainer shared his thoughts on the program, “We recognized that every candidate had excellent problem-solving skills and confidence was the issue only because they had been away from work for a few years. Vapasi has been designed to bolster candidates’ confidence within the first week, and the following 2 weeks are dedicated to hands-on experience of working with new technologies.”

Vapasi is part of #TalkTechToHer, a ThoughtWorks campaign directed towards women in technology who have more than 6 years of work experience. The campaign aims to elevate conversations around inclusivity and drive an important message that women can achieve as much as men, or more, when they are presented with the opportunities, without biases.