Created by entrepreneurs in the Technology sector, the NGO has already trained more than 1,900 students in Cloud Computing in 2024 alone
Four years ago, entrepreneurs in the Information Technology sector were already aware of the market's need for qualified professionals, whether in technical or behavioral skills. Rafael Marangoni, Executive Director – Global Cloud & IA Services at Ingram Micro, and Flavio Rescia Dias, co-founder and CTO of DaRede, took a risk on a project, with their minds focused on the idea that “training people is an investment”. Thus was born the Escola da Nuvem, a non-profit social organization that seeks to train and employ people in situations of social vulnerability for careers in Cloud Computing. According to Brasscom, Brazil is currently the 10th largest producer of ICT – Information and Communication Technology – in the world, representing 30% of the Latin American market. However, 48% of HR leaders see the lack of skills as one of the main threats to business, according to the study Workforce 2.0 – Unlocking human potential in a technology-driven world, by Mercer.
The Escola da Nuvem also has women leading the project, such as strategic career management specialist Ana Letícia Lucca, who works as CRO (Chief Revenue Officer). Born in Londrina (PR), Ana Letícia is an example of reinvention, change and overcoming. Since she was little, she was taught about a possible life path: getting married, having children and, if there was time, investing in a career; although this concept was still something distant for her. Irony of fate or not, today we know that she got there: Ana Letícia is responsible for guiding people to find a purpose and a job in the area of Technology – she is the CRO of Escola da Nuvem, a non-profit social organization that trains and employs people in the area of information technology and cloud computing.
The daughter of a doctor, she grew up under the view that there were only a few professions considered respectable: medicine, law, engineering, dentistry and administration; the latter being the least well regarded. But Ana chose a different path: she fell in love with the arts and found in dance a way to overcome herself, making it her first profession when she opened a school to teach the sport.
Throughout her life, Ana also faced some challenges: she worked as a call center operator at a pharmacy and then as an intern at a pharmaceutical company. Because of her job, she had to study Business Administration. The job required her to move to Cascavel (PR) with a borrowed car, but it also guaranteed a new salary. Ana also moved to another city several times, which took her to São Paulo. A career in the pharmaceutical industry brought stability, but it was still far from Ana's purpose, and she created a motto for herself: “life without goals or purpose is nothing”. When she was laid off six years later after the pharmaceutical company was sold, Ana had a new chance to reflect on her professional mission.
Taking a bold step once again, she sought out a career consultancy and planned to open her own business by the age of 50, as she wanted to help other people. She then began to dedicate herself to understanding the market and building technical skills. Ana wanted to inspire people to face challenges and find meaning in their own careers. She opened an organizational development consultancy and began serving the technology segment, which, some time later, connected her with Escola da Nuvem.
“I have always been very passionate about the technology segment precisely because I understand that it is a super relevant area for social transformation”, declared Ana. An example of this is the Escola da Nuvem itself, which, since its foundation, has already trained more than 4,500 students. In 2023 alone, more than 3,400 students were trained in both AWS and Microsoft Cloud, and 83% of the people who continued to the employability stage have already found employment.
How did the Cloud School come about?
When she heard about the initiative, Ana immediately volunteered. She immediately developed content focused on teaching students how to write resumes and prepare for a job interview. She also engaged volunteers, consolidating a purpose that combined her professional and personal experience. “At Escola da Nuvem, I can inspire people to express their potential with a much better and greater seasoning so that they can challenge themselves and develop; and that makes me very fulfilled,” said Ana.
The organization's initial goal was to train 500 students per year, but it soon became clear that many more people would be trained than that. Today, with more than 40 employees, 80 instructors and more than 200 volunteers per cycle to maintain operations, the NGO is aimed at people in socially and economically vulnerable situations who wish to make a career transition or enter the technology market.
Escola da Nuvem has already transformed the lives of people who were previously domestic workers, street vendors, doormen, waiters, app drivers, among other professions. “The goal has always been to help people get out of these situations and change their mindset of feeling unworthy of an opportunity in a market as organized as that of a company,” says Ana. The challenge for Escola da Nuvem volunteers and employees, as well as Ana Letícia, is the process of convincing them of this.
The Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation predicts that the technology market in Brazil will generate 797,000 jobs by 2025. By offering free cloud computing courses focused on AWS and Microsoft, Escola da Nuvem offers certificates and directs graduates to job opportunities. After graduation, students are monitored to ensure that they are incorporated into the company during the adaptation period.
The NGO’s purpose, to help people live their values with commitment and transparency, is in line with Ana’s. Like her, Escola da Nuvem believes that everyone is capable of flying high, and together, they can build a more promising future. “We can impact people on many more fronts and also those around them, such as family members and friends who may be unemployed,” she concludes.