Financial assistance and individual monitoring will be offered to 20 university students from the Computer Science course at the Federal University of Campina Grande
VTEX, a digital commerce platform for large companies and retailers, a leader in accelerating the transformation of commerce in Latin America and now expanding globally, today launches the DiversiFICA program, which will provide financial assistance and individual educational support to students in socioeconomic vulnerability. Initially, the program will serve 20 university students from the Computer Science course at the Federal University of Campina Grande – UFCG, selected according to criteria related to per capita family income and diversity aspects.
“The project arose due to the proximity between UFCG and VTEX, from the VTEX Lab program, which trains new talents in the areas of software engineering and digital product design. Along with the coordination of the Computer Science course, we identified a large dropout of talent in public universities of excellence due to external issues that could be circumvented. That's why we created the DiversiFICA program, which provides scholarships and individual support to help university students, including in the development of socio-emotional aspects”, explains Clara Limongi, program leader at VTEX.
Image produced before the pandemic
The program, which lasts 12 months, also seeks to support the reduction of failure rates in the course. In addition, it reinforces education as VTEX's main instrument of social impact and strengthens the company's presence in the Northeast, a region with professionals already renowned in the digital commerce ecosystem and with great potential for the development of new talents for the sector.
“DiversiFICA is yet another VTEX initiative to mitigate the shortage of qualified professionals in the technology market, a situation often aggravated by issues beyond the excellence of Brazilian universities and students. Several students, especially those living in a context of socioeconomic vulnerability, are forced to start working early to help their families or to support themselves financially, and end up not being able to keep up with classes. With the program, we offer all the necessary support so that these people can complete the course and follow what they have planned for their careers”, complements Clara Limongi.
DiversiFICA also creates a support network for students, and develops specific content to help them with academic follow-up, as well as mentoring schedules for the development of hard skills (technical skills) and soft skills (behavioral skills).
The selection of participants will be made, during the month of November, by a technical team specialized in carrying out socioeconomic assessments, identifying situations of vulnerability or social risk, in addition to verifying the impact on the student's permanence and performance at the university. Based on a documentary analysis, possible interviews and visits to the applicants' homes, those eligible will be defined. The program will also start in November.
Presence of VTEX in the Northeast
VTEX opened its first office in the Northeast in December 2019, in João Pessoa (PB), focusing on the development of payment solutions - the integration for payment via Pix in stores that use the VTEX platform, for example, was fully developed by the team from the capital of Paraíba. Recently, in August of this year, the company started operations in Recife (PE), located in Porto Digital, with the initial scope of scale progression of the new Store Framework, a quick store creation tool developed by the digital commerce platform.
Another highlight is the consolidated partnership with universities in the region, such as UFCG, the Federal University of Pernambuco (UFPE) and the Federal University of Ceará (UFC) – Quixadá Campus, with the VTEX Lab program. which helps to train new talents in the areas of software engineering and digital product design, has already enabled the participation of more than 80 students in Research & Development projects.
To learn more about VTEX's initiatives, in addition to open vacancies, go to: https://careers.vtex.com/
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