IFC reveals how Andela is building a prosperous world for technologists

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Andela has opened up career paths for more than 175,000 technologists worldwide, helping them to build the skills they need to work in a global economy, at exciting companies including ViacomCBS, GitHub, and Mastercard.

This is one of the findings of a recent case study from the IFC – the International Finance Corporation.

As a world-leading technologist hiring marketplace, Andela is creating a prosperous world for talented technologists in our Network, helping them increase their pay by 87% compared to their previous roles.

As the IFC case study states “Andela’s success indicates a path to growth for talented people, not just in software but in a variety of professions, by building the skills that people need to work in a global economy.”

From our beginnings in 2014, Andela was designed to demonstrate how a for-profit business could meet social needs. Our six co-founders noticed the potential of the continent of Africa, which was home to a large number of young people with strong software engineering skills. But they were underserved by available education and the job market.

“We all began talking through the notion of a global talent accelerator,” says Jeremy Johnson, Andela’s CEO and co-founder. “It would identify high-aptitude young people in software development, which we knew from education data was the highest-value skill. We decided to test a pilot in Lagos, Nigeria.”

A six-month pilot training program was designed, which was followed by a four-year paid apprenticeship. By 2019, Andela’s program had 1,500 fellows on campus and more than 100,000 alumni.

Since its inception, Andela has grown from strength to strength, helping thousands of technologists across the world to find their dream roles at a global company. And we’ve moved with the times, embracing a remote-first business model as a company, and focusing on connecting technologists to remote jobs.

“Before the pandemic, I’d guess that maybe 12 percent of all software developers worked remotely,” says Johnson. “Today, I’d be surprised if more than 12 percent of software developers go to an office more than a couple of days per week.”

According to the IFC, “Andela’s presence in a local community can lead to improvements in digital infrastructure and services, raising the entrepreneurial potential of the area.”

Andela’s approach works because it provides something that is scarce in many economic circles: trust. We connect bright technologists to global tech companies with complex, interesting projects.

And we foster diversity and inclusion by demonstrating value. With Andela, people from a wide range of countries and backgrounds are now gaining leadership roles in highly technical and specialized organizations.

“Our goal is to cultivate future leaders who can introduce strong values into the technology world,” says Jeremy Johnson. “However, companies are not working with Andela as a Corporate Social Responsibility experiment. They work with us because it is the best investment they can make in scaling engineering output. It’s only once clients start working with us that they realize, “Oh, wait a second. The best engineer on my team is a 26-year-old woman from Nairobi. How did that happen?” Then they think differently about the world and about what’s possible.”

It’s this diversity and global reach that is enabling Andela to change the lives of thousands of technologists across the globe. And by creating a global network of talented engineers and developers, who frequently collaborate and help each other, Andela is dissolving stereotypes.

“As a Black man, it’s nice to see Latin American, North American, Asian, and African developers working together on the same products. Working at Andela has changed my mental profile of what a software engineer should look like. As companies hire people from different backgrounds, they will be pushed to provide designs that benefit a wider range of people.” Anthonio Pinheiro, Andela Head of Talent Delivery

We exist to connect technologists all over the world to their dream roles. We help you increase your pay, grow your career and improve your quality of life.

To find out about the positive impact we’re making for our technologists, read the IFC case study in full.

Want to be part of the Andela Community? Then join the Andela Talent Network!

With more than 175,000 technologists in our community, in over 90 countries, we’re committed to creating diverse remote engineering teams with the world’s top talent. And our network members enjoy being part of a talented community, through activities, benefits, collaboration, and virtual and in-person meetups.

All you need to do to join the Andela Talent Network is to follow our simple sign-up process.

Submit your details via our online application then…

Complete an English fluency test – 15 minutes.

Complete a technical assessment on your chosen skill (Python, Golang, etc.) – 1 hour.

Meet with one of our Senior Developers for a technical interview – 1 hour.


Visit the Andela Talent Network sign-up page to find out more.

If you found this blog useful, check out our other blog posts for more essential insights!

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