Marking its first investments in Germany, the Cognizant Foundation has awarded grants to CodeDoor and ReDI School of Digital Integration—organisations working to provide refugees, migrants and individuals from underprivileged backgrounds with in-demand tech and digital skills.

CodeDoor has built a refugee-centered training platform used by educational NGOs, charitable organisations and other nonprofits to train individuals in coding and tech-related subjects. Since 2015, CodeDoor has built a network of 100 partners to train and effectively integrate more than 5,000 individuals into tech careers—funding from the foundation will allow CodeDoor to scale and expand the impact of this work.

“We are thrilled to have been selected for the grant—it means a lot to us that the Cognizant Foundation sees our work and recognises the impact,” said Nora Schimang, CEO of CodeDoor. “This grant will enable us to give more organisations and their respective beneficiaries the opportunity to learn digital skills and thus qualify for the labour market.”

Through a wide portfolio of three-month, part-time coding courses and a network of industry professionals, tech companies and partners, ReDI School of Digital Integration creates opportunities for the integration of refugee and migrant communities into the job market. Through funding from the foundation, ReDI will establish and scale its online learning experience "ReDI School in Cyberspace," allowing students to access quality programming education—no matter where they are located.

“Our partnership with Cognizant Foundation is based on the shared belief that far too few people have access to quality education, training and job opportunities to improve their social mobility,” said Anne Kjær Bathel, co-founder and CEO of ReDI School of Digital Integration. “Together with our community of volunteer teachers, we are committed to providing quality tech education that primarily benefits people who have experienced forced migration and displacement.”

These grants continue the Cognizant Foundation’s international expansion and focus to ensure that those who create technology reflect the breadth and diversity of those who use technology.

“The tech sector offers unparalleled opportunity for economic mobility, yet far too few have access to the quality education, social capital and job experience needed to enter and succeed in the field,” said Kristen Titus, executive director of the Cognizant Foundation. “We are excited to partner with both ReDI and CodeDoor, our first grantee partners in Germany, as we work to ensure historically excluded and underrepresented groups are provided with pathways to succeed in the digital economy.”