Working for the publics most remote from the jobs market, our free, intensive training courses for the technical trades under pressure in the digital economy allow for the integration of the disadvantaged and of job seekers. We want to find different ways of training new talent for the professions of tomorrow, including those who are poorly represented in IT (women, young NEETs, people from sensitive urban areas and neighbourhoods which are given priority in local policies, professionals undergoing retraining, the disabled, the older long-term unemployed, etc).

We are convinced that training in IT is a powerful vector of social innovation, and our innovative and flexible educational values are based on mutual assistance and goodwill. We train 'Simploniens' (our trainees) who are versatile, creative and co-operative, with open, critical minds.

Our activities in France: 

• the integration of those who are remote from employment, disadvantaged or under-represented in IT, via training in the technical trades of digital technology. To this end, we have developed multiple programmes to support these publics (#Hackeuses! for women, Refugeeks to help with the integration of refugees within our promotions, CAPPRIO for young school dropouts, etc.)

• the promotion of training in computer programming for all. We democratise the learning of digital skills at any age, particularly through our FabLab Solidaire, Simplon lab

• the development, using the Simplon.prod innovation cell, of applications, contents and services with strong themes which take all the different publics into account. To support this, we are collaborating with Ag2r la Mondiale, in the DigitESS programme, to allow the acceleration of the digital transformation of ESS stakeholders throughout France who work for employment and social innovation

• supporting vocational training and helping with internal and external mobility for our associates. We want to support the IT transformation of organisations through our cell Simplon.Corp 
• extending across France with the opening of twenty social structures, particularly in rural areas. We want to have a presence in all fragile areas.

Simplon has a wide network of providers for 'sourcing' (the term used within our organisation when we are talking about recruitment) the new talents of tomorrow.

We have been working in close conjunction with local stakeholders for five years throughout the country, where we have established local communities, local employment centres, neighbourhood associations, different local stakeholders from the world of united social economy, etc. These different partnerships have enabled us to acquire a reputation which today is well established, and we have very little need to advertise to attract recruits, since today, unfortunately, we can only accept one candidate in ten.

In addition, Simplon is also a member of several professional networks in France, which has helped to spread its reputation in the IT world (through its membership of the Grande École du Numérique, de la Med), the united social economy (via Ashoka et Mouves, supported by La France S'Engage and the French Impact programme) and in the training area (with its many links with Pôle Emploi and the OPCAs (Authorised Joint Collection Bodies)

The gender-aware approach to IT is often highlighted in the composition of IT staff, from the careers guidance point of view. And what is deeply unfair, these situations are paradoxical insofar as mixed teams display a 16% improvement in performance in comparison with  non-mixed teams in the IT sector ^[1], and that the European GDP would increase by 9 billion euros per year if as many women were employed in IT as men^[2]!

Because of this fact, for several years, Simplon has been developing programmes aimed at the inclusion of women and teenage girls, believing that IT can be a powerful lever for social and professional integration if it supports diversity. We therefore defend a vision of inclusive IT, working for those who are excluded or discriminated against, and encourage women candidates in our training courses.

We have been able to put various activities in place, to support this:

• units for re-mobilisation and careers advice dedicated to women with five weeks spent on an introduction to IT, exploring job options, deconstructing clichés and fighting against self-censorship. The most recent unit was set up with leboncoin: #MISSCODE. During their 6-week course, our trainees were able to acquire a solid IT culture, explore the concepts of digital identity and personal data, understand how to control digital tools for project management and learn the basics of programming. They were also able to hold meetings with professionals and visit key places in the sector;
• the integration of women within our free, inclusive and innovative training courses on the technical side of IT. Our promotions today include 35% women; our goal is to reach 50% in 2019, as was emphasised in a forum held by our president Frédéric Bardeau in March;
• workshops to raise awareness of technical knowledge and gender issues in IT. In the context of our Simplon.Kids programme, sessions are held with young people in order to introduce them to new technologies, enrich their professional horizons and counter the gender-based approach to IT;
• the launch of the Makeuses Project appeal by our Foundation. This project appeal has been launched with a view to bringing out and giving financial support to projects feminising the 'makers' sector. The results were announced during the 'Women in Technology: take off the brakes, hack gender discrimination' event, organised at our premises on International Women's Day;
• participation in the Wi-Filles programme. An original initiation programme into the technical IT trades, for female college and school students, to eradicate prejudice;
• participation in Chabadabada Week. A week of hackathon and discussion on diversity and co-education in technology, entrepreneurship and civil society
• participation in Ada Week. A week of conferences and of awareness-raising events
• Code: debugging the gender gap. Translation, subtitling and the projection of documentaries during the week of 8 March, 2017
• signing the Government Co-education Plan and participation in the Steering Committee of 22 June 2017. Promoting co-education within the sector by working on the way IT is represented to the general public

Trainees' comments:

“This training was a very good experience for me, which allowed me to (re)discover the world of IT. I met some wonderful people, both among the professionals from the IT community and among the other participants. I could get hands-on experience, thanks to the different workshops (programming, linked objects, etc) and I discovered some great places which I would certainly not have been able to visit without Simplon. This month has been a truly enriching experience and has confirmed my ambition to become a web developer. I discovered a more open, more free universe which has better opportunities and a different way of thinking. I realised that women have the right to be in this environment, and that they actually played an important part in the beginning of the Internet. I really recommend this experience to everyone, whether you're already attracted to this environment or just curious. Go for it!” Shamila

“The training let me confirm my ambition to become a developer, and gave me the tools, the network and the strength to get there. I continued with the long web developer training at Simplon, and I'm now working as a developer! We have remained in touch with the 'Hackeuses' group, and we even have several ongoing projects such as setting up our IT agency or creating a dedicated webzine. With the Hackeuses, I coded, I learned, and above all I made some very good friends.” Mahana

To contribute to the reception of refugees in France, Simplon.co and the partners who support us (the Ministry of the Interior, Fondation de France, Fondation Valentin Ribet, Total, Accenture, BNP Paribas) launched the Refugeeks programme in March 2016, an intensive training course leading to a qualification in web development for refugees.

It aims to enable refugees to access a profession under pressure and with high added value by offering a training course adapted to their needs, in synergy with the structures involved with these publics.

Through this, trainees can take advantage of:

• two months of intensive French courses - provided by our partner Alliance Française
• seven months of training in web development, including four hours of French per week
• support in finding work, from the Simplon.co team and its employer partners.

After a pilot scheme launched in the Île-de-France in 2016, which saw 40 people start training in web development, Simplon.co today relies on its national network of units (schools) to deploy this programme throughout the country.

Simplon has been able to spread its model of interdependent IT units throughout Europe through a system of franchises.

Opened in 2014 by one of the first Simploniens, Roxana Rugina, the Cluj unit got the spread of Simplon abroad off to a flying start. In 2015, almost 60 events (workshops, bootcamps, etc) were organised, involving 200,000 participants of all ages.

Be.Code is a Belgian unit opened in 2017 by Karen Boers, Laurent Hublet and Rodolphe Verhaegen, in partnership with Simplon.co. Located in Brussels and Charleroi, Be.Code offers intensive training in web and mobile development.

Factoria F5 is a Spanish unit offering free training courses in IT, which will open in Barcelona at the beginning of April.

Simplon.co and its European partners have also worked together on an Erasmus+ project, named EUnited We Code, to strengthen this partnership and to work together to create innovative and transmittable pedagogical support for its European peers.

Simplon is also a member of the European Digital Skills and Job Coalition network, in the context of fighting together against the lack of IT skills in Europe and contributing to an inclusive digital society, designed to help job seekers and professionals in the process of re-training.

In addition, in cooperation with the Think And Do Tank Pour la Solidarité, Simplon.co has written two articles, including two publications targeting Europe:

• La transformation numérique dans l’Europe 2020 : un puissant levier d’inclusion (The Transformation of IT in 2020 Europe: a powerful lever for inclusion)
• Formation inclusive aux métiers du numérique : pour une meilleure intégration des femmes et des personnes réfugiées (Inclusive training in IT: working for better integration of women and refugees)

^[1]Figures taken from Gender Scan dans le numérique (Gender Scan in IT): study carried out by Global Contact, November 2016

^[2]Figures from Final Report - Women active in the ICT sector: study carried out by the European Commission, January 2013

Translation (French to English): EPALE France