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DURHAM – Thanks to a partnership between two tech-passionate founders, small businesses and startups nationwide will have a unique opportunity to benefit from a technical intern program this summer. Sue Harnett, Founder and President of Rewriting the Code (RTC), and Brooke Markevicius, Founder and CEO of Allobee, connected and found common ground in their passion for supporting women and love of computer science.
Harnett’s organization, Rewriting The Code, is a non-profit dedicated to supporting and empowering women studying for a career in computer technology. The partnership with Allobee, a platform designed to connect business owners to an underutilized workforce of experienced, professional women seeking non-traditional work, was a natural progression after they initially connected.
On the heels of a negative internship experience, Markevicius received an email that would lead to the partnership. Harnett decided to reach out after she spotted a feature on Allobee and Markevicius in The Triangle Business Journal, which covers local business news in the Triangle region of North Carolina.
The pair scheduled a Zoom call, and during their virtual meet-up, they found so much common ground, the connection seemed serendipitous. Not only do they both love tech and head up organizations created to support women in their careers, they also found, they live less than a mile away from one another.
Together, Markevicius and Harnett developed a program to place RTC’s pool of outstanding, vetted female tech students in internship roles with employers through Allobee. The women had no trouble finding quality candidates. After receiving more than 200 applications for the internships in just three hours, finding businesses that would like to hire an intern is crucial. With the interns beginning work in one month, the deadline to get matched is quickly approaching.
“This Summer Cohort is an exciting opportunity for the future female tech grads in our program,” stated Harnett. “An important goal of RTC’s is to open the doors of possibility to our students and introduce them to overlooked positions in computer science and tech, which they may want to pursue post graduation. I hope employers take an interest in helping to launch the careers of these women, by allowing our students to hone their skills and gather real world experience in the field while completing their studies.”
Women continue to make up a small percentage of the technical workforce, and that number has stayed steady for almost 15 years. Beyond that, only 2% of Hispanic women, 6% of Asian women, and 3% of African American women are in computing-related jobs.
“I’ve seen the gap, not just in the traditional workforce, but also in the freelance space. There are very few women with technical skills beyond simple website development. I want to change that,” said Markevicius. “The best skill I learned was how to code, that’s why I have a huge passion for getting women into technical roles.”
Determined to improve experiences for startups and entrepreneurs in need of technical talent, Markevicius and Harnett figured out a way to make internship experiences smoother and more accessible for employers and interns alike. “Our program is unique in that our interns will receive ongoing support while working on their projects, and the employers will have access to support from start to finish as well,” added Markevicius. “We’ve ensured that the price point is attainable for small businesses and startups with options available for part time work.”
Allobee will match interns to clients, manage the administrative side of hiring a paid intern, and assist with laying out a project if requested. Interns will be 100% virtual with interns and employers located across the US. Rewriting the Code’s team will have visiting mentors throughout the summer, and will set up community discussions and events with the needs of the intern in mind.
More than 80% of women applying for the internships expressed a desire to work on social impact or tech-for-good projects, but any company can be matched to an intern. Work on a single project will take place from mid-May through mid-August 2021. Those interested in hiring a summer intern should fill out Allobee’s Client Application to get started.
In addition to technical interns, Allobee will also be offering non-technical internships with women in their network who are looking to upskill, or were laid off due to Covid-19. Those seeking interns in this category can apply here. Non-tech internships will range from social media to Facebook and Google Ads to copywriting. Allobee announced their raise of $500K back in January, and in Q2 they are finalizing collaborations and partnerships to round out the experience for our experts and clients, as well as will be announcing their advisory group.
About Allobee:
Allobee is a platform designed with the overwhelmed entrepreneur and small business owner in mind. Whether in need of business support services like bookkeeping and tech assistance, or upleveling your visibility with podcast editing, website development, graphic design, or social media, Allobee is a one-stop business solution to give you time back when you need it most. Allobee‘s algorithm connects business owners nationwide to a vetted, underutilized workforce of experienced, professional women who have left the traditional 9 to 5, and provides a seamless workflow to the logistics of hiring, paying, and managing projects to completion. Learn more at https://allobee.com
About Rewriting the Code:
Rewriting the Code is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has developed an international community of exceptional college and early career women with a passion for technology. RTC empowers women to become the next generation of engineers and tech leaders by facilitating community, career exploration, mentorship, professional and personal development, and hands-on experience through partnerships with tech companies across a variety of industries.
