The blockchain and cloud industries are traditionally male-dominated. The cost of living and the education crises make higher education even more unaffordable and questionable. But what if Blockchain can provide a solution to both of these problems?
Read on to find out how a new generation of talent challenges stereotypes using great alternative career paths such as apprenticeships.
The gender gap in crypto and blockchain
The gender pay gap is still a significant issue in the industry. According to Blockworks, studies have shown that between 2012 and 2018, teams with a woman among the founders made up only 17.7% of crypto and Blockchain companies. Additionally, this number dropped to 8.2% when looking at all-women founding teams.
Related: Tackling the Crypto gender gap
The lack of women in blockchain can partly be explained by the historical dominance of men in the tech and financial industries. Encouragingly, the number of women in the field has grown from 8% to 12% in the past two years. For example, 2020 saw remarkable progress for crypto in India as the Supreme Court clarified the asset class’s legality. This resulted in a significant rise in women investors entering the field.
The broken promise of higher education and the cost of living crisis
Many prefer the traditional path of education and a stable job, which usually involves a university degree. While it is recognised and appears safe, the main disadvantage of this path is the large amount of debt that accumulates.
A massive student loan and significant living expenses are required. However, neither graduating nor getting the much-coveted job that will enable a satisfactory standard of living and will pay off the debt are guaranteed. For context, in England, the average university student debt tripled to £45,000 for those who finished their courses in 2021.
Related: Transforming education through blockchain
Students and employers turning to apprenticeships
Apprenticeships, an alternative route, are becoming more well-known. Employers also prefer to hire someone who has completed an apprenticeship. They allow students to learn and earn at the same time while gaining real-life practical professional experience.
Therefore, apprentices not only end up with no or far smaller debt compared to university graduates but are also more likely to get a full-time position after completing their apprenticeship.
The benefits extend both to apprentices and employers. The duration of these programs allows both parties to get to know each other well. This results in significant value added from the apprentice during the program and a high likelihood of a successful transition into a full-time role.
In other words, employers support apprentices to develop skills and knowledge directly relevant to their company and needs.
There are many other benefits seen both from apprentices’ and employers’ perspectives.
These include developing and having well-trained, highly skilled staff that adds value to the organisation. Additionally, apprenticeships have been designed in partnership with the industry to plug existing skills gaps. Consequently, young employees will learn exactly what they need to succeed in their chosen field. Furthermore, recruitment is costly and can come with risks. Up-skilling existing staff, on the other hand, is a great way to ensure your organisation has the capabilities you need.
One of the most significant benefits of apprenticeships, for employers and staff alike, is that they help organisations keep their employees motivated and committed for the long term. This is accomplished by assisting them in developing their skills over several years.
Finally, apprentices work with the motivation and knowledge that at the end of this period, they will have a tremendously valuable qualification to help them progress in their careers.
My experience working at Cudos as an Apprentice
Cudos embodies gender equality by having a diverse workforce. We have people working internationally with a good balance of men and women from various backgrounds.
Here at Cudos, we recognise the need for a diverse workforce and empower women to grow and thrive in the blockchain and cloud industry. We are actively seeking ways to identify and nurture female talent from within. So, this is what our Digital Marketing Apprentice, Simrun K Singh had to say:
“I am a Digital Marketing Apprentice at Cudos and support the marketing department across all its functions. My duties span our content, design, audio and video, social media and SEO, and data and analytics teams.
I have learned many things at Cudos not just as an apprentice but also as a woman trying to excel in a career in a traditionally male-dominated industry. I am pleased to say that I have had a successful start and journey with Cudos so far.
Additionally, I have not just been able to have patient and understanding colleagues but also very helpful and supportive managers. They have been able to understand me well and have always tried to be there for me at all times. I always felt supported when I needed space and time to do my studies and balance this with the projects and tasks I have been working on.
Being surrounded by positive and supportive colleagues has helped me successfully progress through my passion in the technology and marketing sector. So far, I have been able to grow with the company well. It is a bit difficult, at times, to balance out my work, education, and personal life. However, Cudos and my manager, in particular, are very understanding and supportive and even encourage me to take time off when I need it. This helps me to recharge whenever I need to. But the reality is that my work ethic only allows me to truly enjoy my holidays when I know I have done a sufficient amount of quality work and feel I deserve to rest.
Furthermore, what intrigued me the most about being part of Cudos is the diverse team that motivates me to do the best I can. I see every day as an opportunity to prove my work ethic and show that I’m a valuable part of the team. From my experience, I feel that Cudos embodies its values and empowerment and equality are my daily reality, not just some buzz words.”
We at Cudos are committed to actively contributing to these efforts. We believe in a future for the web that is diverse, inclusive, and radically open. So let’s work together to make it a reality.
If you’d like to learn more about our efforts to build a sustainable and scalable future for Web3, head over to our mainnet page.
Explore CUDOS on Crypto.com!
About Cudos
Cudos is powering the metaverse bringing together DeFi, NFTs and gaming experiences to realise the vision of a decentralised Web3, enabling all users to benefit from the growth of the network. We’re an interoperable, open platform launchpad that will provide the infrastructure required to meet the 1000x higher computing needs for the creation of fully immersive, gamified digital realities. Cudos is a Layer 1 blockchain and Layer 2 community-governed compute network, designed to ensure decentralised, permissionless access to high-performance computing at scale. Our native utility token CUDOS is the lifeblood of our network and offers an attractive annual yield and liquidity for stakers and holders.
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