Google launched a new diversity scheme for the development of female engineers and their potential promotion to senior job roles within its diversity strategy. The mentoring scheme called Code F connects aspiring female software engineers with in-house engineers and other employees in senior positions. It aims to strengthen the number of hired women within a wider corporate initiative to recruit the best talent from less represented groups.
Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe, Google’s head of diversity and inclusion in EMEA, said in an interview with British People Management magazine that he saw no sense in the current practice of appointing women to company boards. "When companies increase the number of women on boards, we see a number of non-executive directors joining who are women. It does not have an impact as they are not directly running the company." said Palmer-Edgecumbe. "I think the key thing is to challenge the composition of the level below that, the senior executives and managers as they are the people who will be on the board in future. This level should be 50:50 men and women"
The Code F scheme designed to support women was launched at the end of 2011. It follows two already existing similar programs - Top Black Talent, designed for ethnic minorities, and Tech Abilities, designed for the disabled. The schemes last eight months. Participants are always paired with a mentor from among internal engineers to work together on various projects. About a hundred people from various parts of the world, who got a chance to develop their career with the company, have gone through the schemes so far.
About 1.5 million people a year apply for a job in Google. It is therefore not easy to get the job. Mark Palmer-Edgecumbe believes that this may discourage women and other minorities from applying. That is why he can see a great sense of the schemes and intends to continue developing them as toola to promote diversity in the company.
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