Fostering Diversity through the Adobe Digital Academy

The spotlight on diversity and inclusion in the tech industry continues to be a major focus. Adobe is among many tech companies that have released statistics on the diversity of their workforce, hired or named leaders to address the issues, and are working toward improving recruiting, development, and retention programs for women and underrepresented minorities.

Adobe is committed to creating a workplace that works for everyone by investing in the tech industry pipeline, sourcing diverse applicants, and enhancing the employee experience. For example, we support seven Employee Networks, from Adobe Women to the Black Employee Network, to connect and develop underrepresented employees. In addition, the Employee Experience team has implemented a number of new practices to combat unconscious bias and promote inclusive hiring. The Adobe Foundation has made a continuing investment in a number of coding initiatives such as Girls Who Code, Hack the Hood, and City Year.

But what’s next? Most recently, we launched the Adobe Digital Academy as a way to attract new diverse candidates interested in Web and Android development.

The program is broken into two parts: Education and Experience:

Our first Adobe Academy candidate, Adriana Villagran, started in June with the Project 1324 team. Her manager Randy Riggins, Senior Engineering Manager of Project 1324 says, “It’s beneficial having an immersive intern because she is able to do real work, and bring a fresh perspective and new energy. Unlike the summer internships, this is year-round and gives candidates from alternative backgrounds an on-ramp to technical careers.” More cohorts began this week and will continue joining teams across Adobe through the fall and winter.

Adobe’s Sustainability + Social Impact (S+S) team partners with a number of nonprofits, including YearUp, Hispanic Heritage Foundation, and Hack the Hood, in order to reach potential candidates. The typical candidate has a two or four-year college degree, between two to six years of work experience, and a self-starter mentality. Adriana shares about her experience at Adobe, “You learn so much in a short amount of time at the development boot camp, and then once you’re at Adobe you realize there is so much more to learn. There is a really good support system for learning new technologies and the team trusts me to experiment and explore.”

Investments for this program are shared between the Adobe S+S team, which covers the scholarship and stipend, and the business units, which cover the three-month immersion internship.

_Interested in applying for the Adobe Digital Academy? Please contact any one of our education partners, General Assembly’s San Francisco Office, Dev Boot Camp SF and/or Galvanize SF.
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