disguise has launched a new internship programme designed to seek out, train and invite the very best talent from under-represented backgrounds into the technology industry.
The company hopes to uncover the most promising young individuals through new partnerships with two initiatives that share disguise’s values of equality and diversity: Kwanda, a non-profit organisations supporting enterprise and creativity within the black community; and Workfinder, an organisation that matches students with opportunities in start-ups and scale-ups
disguise was keen to collaborate with Kwanda to address racial diversity within the tech industry. By partnering with Workfinder, disguise is directly supporting their Women in Tech scheme that aims to deliver increased gender equality in the STEM sector.
The new programme allows interns to spend a full year gaining experience in two disguise teams, majoring in one placement and minoring in the other. For the first three months of 2021, the interns will be in their minor placements. Their major placements will happen between March this year and January 2022. The interns will work on a project during the major placement, which they will present as a dissertation at the end of the year. Though fairly structured and mutually agreed with the teams, the interns will have the freedom to work with other departments and gain different experience on their year-long disguise journey.
Participants will gain invaluable hands-on experience working within the teams and learning everything they need to know to excel at disguise. Interns are granted access to disguise’s learning management system, meaning they will be experienced users of the disguise platform and workflows by the end of their placements. In a sign of disguise’s continued commitment to equality for all staff, those who decide to take up the disguise internship also receive the same benefits as a regular disguise employee.
“Technology underlines everything in this modern age, and somebody who may find entertainment, stage design and visual experiences interesting might not immediately make that connection,” said Jermaine Craig, Kwanda founder. “This partnership is important as it offers individuals interested in visceral experiences and tech to connect the two. I hope the interns will gradually appreciate what goes into stages, concerts and the visual experiences they enjoy. I’m sure the interns will love the work they do at disguise, and will ultimately grow to become needed industry contributors.”
Workfinder founder, Sherry Coutu CBE, added: “With a student community of 60,000, Workfinder is a platform for Britain’s best businesses to connect with this network so they can innovate faster and better. To celebrate Ada Lovelace Day in October 2020, we launched a campaign to support the future generation of Women in Tech, by helping more than 100 companies source this rare talent to help drive business growth. disguise is one of our partners, and it’s great to see the first intern starting their year placement and getting the most out of the experience.”
Fernando Kufer, disguise CEO concluded: “We’re passionate about inclusivity and diversity in the workplace and the technology industries within which we operate. Our new internship programme, in partnership with Kwanda and Workfinder, is another branch of that support. It’s our hope that, through collaborations like these, we can help introduce new and exciting voices to the amazing projects disguise is at the centre of.”
