Bringing more voices to the table: Red Hat Academy’s efforts to improve representation and inclusivity in the tech industry

At Red Hat, we believe that good ideas can come from anyone, anywhere, regardless of job title or hierarchy. Diversity fuels our inclusive culture by bringing in many perspectives and ideas, challenging our assumptions, and inspiring innovation. With 105+ offices in 40+ countries, plus many Red Hatters working remotely, we work collaboratively in globally distributed teams. Our projects benefit from having many different cultures and perspectives represented. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential as we strive to best understand and serve our customers around the world.

Red Hat Academy works with academic institutions around the globe to provide the next generation of IT talent with free access to a range of Red Hat’s training courses, as well as discounts on Red Hat certification exams. Red Hat Academy has recently invested even more time and resources in reaching and serving historically marginalized groups in the tech industry.

By equipping underserved communities with core system administration and cloud computing skills needed to be successful after graduation, we hope to help their voices to be heard in greater numbers among the ranks of tech leadership in the future, both at Red Hat and beyond.

Red Hat Academy relationship with B.U.I.L.D.

One of the ways Red Hat Academy has promoted inclusion is by working with Red Hat’s Blacks United in Leadership and Diversity (B.U.I.L.D.) diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) community. One of nine employee resource groups at Red Hat, B.U.I.L.D. exists to foster a connected community of Black Red Hatters and their allies and supports our efforts to recruit, develop, engage and retain Black associates through community outreach, social engagement and professional development.

In 2021, the Red Hat Academy team in North America collaborated with B.U.I.L.D.’s campus/university outreach committee to host a number of different events for seven Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with whom we had established relationships. Students from these institutions were invited to events hosted by B.U.I.L.D. members specializing in different areas of expertise within Red Hat. We invited students to get a peek behind the curtain as a Red Hat intern, workshop their resumes and learn about professional IT skills that would benefit them post-graduation.

Open Source for ALL in Brazil

In September 2021, the Red Hat Academy and DEI teams in Latin America jointly launched the "Open Source for ALL" project, which aimed to offer Red Hat Training courses to students in a situation of social vulnerability according to criteria established by the Ministry of Education and Culture in Brazil. With an investment by Paulo Bonucci, Vice President & General Manager, LATAM at Red Hat, the main goal of the project was to provide access to training resources to students from public Red Hat Academies in Brazil who are in a vulnerable social situation, equipping them with the skills necessary to be competitive in the IT job market.

The project provided students with:

• Free labs and tools

• Technical guidance from Red Hat professionals

• Openness to the job market

• Opportunity for students in social vulnerability

Through this project, we aimed to drive equitable outcomes for socially vulnerable students by accelerating their knowledge of open source technologies and leveling the playing field for students who didn’t have financial resources for technical training. 

Students selected for this initiative gained access to instructor-led training for Red Hat System Administration I (RH124) and Red Hat OpenShift I: Containers & Kubernetes (DO180). Students participated in two/three-week Linux and OpenShift training, which gave them the ability to work with Red Hat Enterprise Linux and administer containerized applications and services. The universities selected to participate in the first course were Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC) and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ).

Learn more 

With a focus on D&I initiatives that span the globe, Red Hat Academy is helping equip the next generation of IT leaders with the skills needed to launch their careers. Visit our DEI page or Red Hat Academy page for more information.