For many employers in the region, finding skilled technology workers is a major challenge. At the same time, women are underrepresented in the technology sector. To address both challenges, an IDB Lab project with Laboratoria (PE-M1091), a Peruvian-born social enterprise, set out to build the coding skills of young women from low-income backgrounds and place them in well-paying jobs through its employer network. This innovative talent sourcing model consists of a six-month, full-time coding boot camp that also incorporates life skills training. As part of Laboratoria’s business model, there is no upfront fee for the training, though participants agree to repay about half of the program cost after graduation and job placement.

With IDB Lab support, Laboratoria consolidated its model in Peru and expanded its operations into Brazil, Chile, Ecuador, and Mexico. Over the course of the three-year project, 1,038 young women completed the coding boot camp, mostly in Peru, surpassing the initial target of 700. Furthermore, 86 percent of graduates have been placed in jobs, well above the project’s initial 50 percent placement target, earning around double the minimum wage on average. Laboratoria’s employer network has grown to include around 500 companies and it is continuing to solidify its model outside of Peru.