OfferUp and Ironhack Debut $250,000 Career Empowerment Scholarship to Improve Diversity in Tech

The partnership will make coding and UX/UI design education more accessible to women and professionals of color

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Nov 09, 2020, 09:00 ET

SEATTLE and MIAMI, Nov. 9, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- OfferUp, the largest mobile marketplace in the U.S. for local buyers and sellers with more than 100M downloads, today announced it has launched a diversity scholarship and partnership with Ironhack, a globally ranked tech school that offers intensive courses in Web Development and UX/UI Design.

The OfferUp Tech Career Empowerment Scholarship will improve access to coding education by providing $250,000 towards enrollment at Ironhack for women and underrepresented professionals who want to expand their tech industry careers. Applications for the scholarship open today and close on November 20, 2020. Classes for the first cohort of students will begin in January 2021.

"Our vision at OfferUp is to empower people to connect and prosper," said Natalie Angelillo, vice president of community at OfferUp. "We've made strides by building an incredible community of buyers and sellers, but we recognize that we also need to take a holistic approach to the concept of community, and that includes diversifying the workforce and opportunities for those in our company and industry. Our partnership with Ironhack gives us the ability to take an active role in reducing digital skills and access gaps in America's tech industry."

Ironhack, a coding bootcamp headquartered in Miami with campuses throughout Europe and Latin America, is paving the way for the coding industry to fill the industry's employment gap for underrepresented groups and women. Ironhack's educational programs provide students with the technical training and industry introductions they need to be employable after graduation. Every student gets access to the most in-demand digital skills through live and hands-on training and can build the foundation to transform their career and become a developer or UX/UI designers, regardless of their previous experience.

Since 2017, the company has partnered with top-tier tech companies to award more than $1.5M in scholarships to those in need or underrepresented groups. More than 7,000 of its graduates now have careers at Fortune 500 companies like Google, Facebook, Twitter, Uber, and more. Of their US graduates, 34 percent are women, and 62 percent identify as Black or Hispanic.

"Ironhack has helped thousands of students change careers and land their dream job in tech," said Lisa Nuessle, Ironhack general manager. "Our premise has always been that employability is not determined exclusively by your level of hard skills or background. Building your professional network and gaining access to opportunities to show your experience plays a huge role in achieving a successful outcome. Through this scholarship, Ironhack is committed to increasing diverse representation within the tech industry."

Those interested can learn more and apply for the OfferUpTech Career Empowerment Scholarship here.

All are welcome to apply regardless of identity, background, and educational experience
Scholarships are prioritized for underrepresented candidates and women looking to enter the tech world (including Black, Latino/Hispanic, Native American/Native Alaskan)
All applicants must be 18 years of age or older to apply and have their own working laptop
At the moment and due to COVID-19, all courses will be taught through Ironhack Miami's remote-live course program

Space in the program is limited, and scholarships are available on a need and first-come basis, so apply by November 20 for your chance to win a scholarship to attend one of Ironhack Miami's Remote-Live career-changing courses. Ironhack will be hosting a virtual open house for potential applicants on November 16 at 12:00 pm ET and November 19 at 6:00 pm ET.

Every year, millions of people use OfferUp to buy and sell locally, resulting in the exchange of billions of dollars of local commerce. Miami is home to one of OfferUp's most active communities, with more than 15 percent of Miamians using the marketplace every month to search, buy and sell furniture, clothes, cars, and more.

OfferUp has more than 150 engineers working across the U.S. In 2019, OfferUp expanded its workforce and opened up an engineering office in Miami to attract top local tech talent. One of those engineers, Alejandro Poggi, is also a graduate of Ironhack and testifies that the skills he received in the program have helped him thrive in his career at OfferUp. Learn more about his story on the OfferUp blog.

About OfferUp
OfferUp is dedicated to building the simplest and most trustworthy way for people to buy and sell in their communities. As the largest mobile marketplace for local buyers and sellers in the U.S., the company's iOS and Android apps have been in the top five most popular shopping apps lists for more than three years. The privately held company is based in Bellevue, WA and backed by top investors including Andreessen Horowitz, Warburg Pincus, OLX, Jackson Square Ventures, and GGV Capital. For more information, visit our website and follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Career opportunities are available at OfferUp today. See the Careers page, follow @lifeatofferup on Instagram, or check out the OfferUp blog for more details.

About Ironhack
Ironhack is one of the top-ranked Tech Schools offering 9-weeks intensive & immersive courses in Web Development, UX/UI Design and Data Analytics and with campuses located in Madrid, Barcelona, Miami, Paris, Mexico, Berlin, Amsterdam, Sao Paulo and Lisbon. Since 2013, Ironhack has graduated over +7000 students who are building their careers in companies like Google, Twitter and ProductHunt. Follow us on Instagram and Facebook.