Story highlights
- Andela is a tech company that trains talented Africans as software developers
- It accepts only 0.7% of those who apply for its program
- Successful alumni have been placed to work remotely for companies like Microsoft and IBM
(CNN)Only the brightest women need apply here.
A highly-competitive training program in Kenya is seeking the smartest female developers.
Andela Kenya has opened applications for an all-female contingent in the country's capital Nairobi.
The company's focus on attracting top female talent has been no secret. "It has been a personal and a company-wide priority to recruit and retain top female talent since we began. We've conducted all-female recruitment cycles and classes in Lagos, Nigeria and are now starting a similar initiative in Kenya," says Andela co-founder Christina Sass.
"In terms of those accepted, our developers are 18% women in Lagos and Nairobi combined. Our latest class accepted in Lagos is 25% women. We are improving, but still can do better -- and we will. Bringing women into career paths is a passion of mine and a priority supported throughout Andela," she added.
Gender neutral results
Andela, with an acceptance rate of 0.7%, is harder to get into than Harvard. The four-year-long paid scheme trains the most talented people across Africa to become world-class software developers, eventually matching them to work remotely for international companies.
Less than 1% of those who apply are accepted -- in comparison, Harvard admits 6% of applicants and Princeton 7.1%.
Sass says that the company decided to specifically target women because, as there are fewer female computer sciences and engineering students, fewer apply to Andela.
"However, once they do apply, test scores -- both technical, and psychometric -- are gender neutral," Sass adds.
"Our female s