Calling future software engineers: Check out the Intercom-funded UL Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Scholarship

We are delighted to sponsor a new Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Scholarship for students on the Immersive Software Engineering (ISE) course at the University of Limerick - worth €10,000.

Software engineering will play a crucial role in the future of business, society and even our planet. To ensure the future is as bright as possible, we need diverse teams of software engineers working on the world's most pressing problems. At Intercom, we foster belonging by celebrating our differences and are committed to building diverse teams.

"It has been proven time and time again that diverse teams are more innovative, productive and happier"

There is ample evidence of the benefits that team diversity brings to employees and businesses, as Karen Church, Vice President of Research and Data Science at Intercom points out: "The benefits of encouraging diversity within your staff and leadership teams are limitless. Diverse teams have been proven time and time again to be more innovative, productive and happier."

Invest in education

We believe that one of the most important ways to contribute to diversity in the industry is to invest in education.

Darragh Curran, our Chief Technology Officer, stresses that promoting diversity should be more than just a matter of recruiting. "Software engineering as an industry is plagued by a lack of diversity across multiple dimensions, especially gender diversity and socio-economic diversity. There is no silver bullet, but some of the areas of important opportunities are further down the funnel than hiring, they are part of our education system - it's about making sure everyone has the right access, awareness and support to pursue a career in tech. should they be interested in doing it.”

The scholarship aims to facilitate this: any ISE course student who is also registered with UL's Access, Sanctuary, or Disability Support Services is eligible to apply for the €10,000 grant.< /p> Practical experience

The course aims to provide a holistic approach to software engineering skills, combining on-campus learning with practical experience during an internship in various companies. Karen describes the program as "a partnership between industry and UL, bringing together the best of both to prepare students for the real workforce."

"We are thrilled to partner with UL to bring ISE to life, as they take an approach much better suited to a professional career"

The ISE program provides students with a solid foundation in academic theory, while ensuring that they gain the experience, confidence, and skills they need to build a successful career in software engineering.

Innovative course design

Students will have the opportunity to gain experience in various sectors, working with different types of people, problems and teams.

Darragh emphasizes the educational innovation of courses like this: "We believe there is room for evolution in the way university programs prepare people for a successful career in technology. We are delighted to partner with UL to bring the ISE to life, as they take an approach that is much better suited to a professional career, with much of the course structured around real-life placements, and the course design influenced by innovations and successful technology companies."

In today's world, this hands-on experience is invaluable for graduates entering the workforce, allowing them to dive right in and make an immediate impact. We hope this scholarship will enable someone who may not have been able to access such opportunities to pursue a career in software engineering.

This is part of our broader strategy of investing in and promoting diversity within our team: we have seen time and time again the long-term benefits that come from investing in and supporting young, ambitious and able at the start of their career. their career. We are committed to not only increasing the diversity of our own team, but also investing in areas that can help increase diversity in our industry.

We encourage any curious, talented and ambitious student with an interest in computing and technology who wants to make a real impact in the world to apply. Learn more here.