In August 2023, we started the DevOps Academy, a project to facilitate women's way into a career within DevOps. Six months in, the academy participants are getting ready for their first real assignment.

– I'm excited, and I feel prepared. I'm ready for it, says Kriti Baniya.

– There are quite some female developers, but the closer you come to the servers and the machines, the fewer women there are. Instead of just wishing for a bigger diversity, we decided to do something about it and lead the change, says Kirsti Stien, Region Manager DevOps in Oslo.

Kirsti Stien has worked at Redpill Linpro for almost 20 years, and she is the initiator of the DevOps Academy.

– When you have a diverse workforce, you get a more productive team. You come up with more interesting ideas, and work better together socially. You can't get the whole perspective if you only have men in your workforce. We need people from different backgrounds, nationalities, ages, and genders. And getting more women into DevOps is a great start.

The first DevOps Academy participants are Ingunn Rivå, Amelie Löwe, Kriti Baniya, and Thea Hermansen Bakke. They all have fresh bachelor's or master's degrees in IT and informatics. They have been handpicked by the Redpill Linpro talent team.

The academy has its base in Oslo, where three participants are seated, and one of them works remotely from Stockholm. They have had a packed six months filled with workshops, e-learning, and certifications. The workshops are all held in-house with senior Redpill Linpro coworkers as the tutors.

– Well, our colleagues are the best – so why not learn from the best? smiles Kirsti Stien.

– Everyone is really kind, and they have a lot of experience. They want us to succeed in the steps we take, and want us to improve every day. They are also good at acknowledging our skills from what we have done before. It's really nice and comforting, says Kriti Baniya.

Creating the education plan and workshops for the academy has been a team effort at the Oslo office. What is important for the participants to learn, in what order should the workshops be held, and what are the best ways to teach these subjects?

– Everyone has been so involved and engaged. All our colleagues are so eager to help when there are any questions. I'm happy to see that they love to explain, says Kirsti Stien.

– I think I was very lucky to get a spot here. The company appreciates its employees and puts effort into teaching us. They use their resources to teach us properly and in-depth, which is so nice. I couldn’t have hoped for anything better, says Ingunn Rivå.

– I feel seen in a way that I think is super important, at least when you're inexperienced and just out of school. It's safe, fun, engaging, and challenging in a good sense, says Thea Hermansen Bakke.

After half a year of workshops and studies, the DevOps Academy is moving on to make practical use of the knowledge. The participants have already been at customer sites for one week, working alongside experienced consultants. The next big step is to have an own assignment for a longer period and work with clients for a few months.

– New changes can always be thrilling and nerve-wracking, but the journey has been absolutely worth it. The past couple of months have been incredibly educational for me. I highly recommend the DevOps Academy to anyone even remotely interested. It has truly been outstanding, shares Amelie Löwe.

It has yet to be decided when the next DevOps Academy will start, but it will probably be in 2025. If you're interested – keep an eye out for updates.

– If you want to go in this direction of tech, this is a great place. You get to learn a lot from people who've worked in the business for a long time, and it's a huge focus on knowledge sharing. I would 100 percent recommend anyone to apply, says Thea Hermansen Bakke.