RBC and Bridge School Partner to Support the Recruitment and Training of a Diverse Technical Workforce

TORONTO, Feb. 27, 2019 /CNW/ - Toronto-based Bridge School is thrilled to announce it is partnering with RBC to advance programs that will develop a more diverse technical workforce. Bridge School is a not-for-profit committed to providing free, advanced education to women, non-binary and agender professionals in the tech industry through its Software Development and Product Design programs.

As Lead Sponsor, RBC's commitment through its Digital Technology and Capital Markets Technology teams will provide Bridge School with funds to unlock longer-term planning, including an ability to provide more cohorts and expand its programming for more students in 2019 and beyond.

"At RBC, we believe diversity and inclusion is more than one of our core values, it fuels innovation and growth," said Sumit Oberai, Senior Vice-President, Digital Technology at RBC. "Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace and a diverse and inclusive workforce is more important than ever to keep up with this change, spark new ideas and drive creativity. We're excited to partner with Bridge School, to support their aim of seeking to help people participate fully and equally in Toronto's tech industry."

Bridge began as a passion project by Executive Director Emily Porta and a small group of employees based out of a Toronto-based technical consulting firm in 2016. The early success of the internally-run program has quickly grown into an independent not-for-profit, in order to provide services on a much larger scale. With six cohorts slated to run in 2019 alone, Bridge currently plans to expand its program offerings to include Machine Learning and Fullstack development programs in the near future.

"This funding comes at a pivotal time for Bridge's growth," said Porta. "We've received over 1,000 applications to our cohorts to date, proving the need for our program among talented women, agender and non-binary developers and designers. RBC's support will unlock critical capacity-building milestones for us, allowing us to provide many more of these professionals with the training they need to start working at great companies in Canada."

Since its founding in 2016, Bridge School has graduated 80 students in their two advanced training programs: Software Development and Product Design. The organization is largely supported by its 90+ volunteers, including instructors, mentors, and more.

About RBC
Royal Bank of Canada is a global financial institution with a purpose-driven, principles-led approach to delivering leading performance. Our success comes from the 84,000+ employees who bring our vision, values and strategy to life so we can help our clients thrive and communities prosper. As Canada's biggest bank, and one of the largest in the world based on market capitalization, we have a diversified business model with a focus on innovation and providing exceptional experiences to our 16 million clients in Canada, the U.S. and 33 other countries. Learn more at rbc.com.‎

We are proud to support a broad range of community initiatives through donations, community investments and employee volunteer activities. See how at rbc.com/community-sustainability.

SOURCE RBC

Media contacts: RBC, Charlotte Hunter, Corporate Communications, RBC, [email protected], 416-974-0263; Bridge School, Emily Porta, Founder & Executive Director, Bridge School, [email protected], 647-463-6298