Guardian Life Supports Black Girls CODE with Insurtech Learning Program

In 2020 Guardian Life committed to a $400K, two-year commitment to help Black Girls CODE (BGC) prepare more women of color for careers in tech training at the cross-section of insurance and technology, a high-demand field dubbed Insurtech.

As one of the largest mutual insurance companies in the U.S., it is embedded in the company DNA to do the right thing for customers and communities, which includes providing philanthropic funding. One of the focus areas in Guardian’s social investments is advancing economic opportunities for marginalized communities.

With a deep breadth of customers, it is also a business imperative that we continue to focus on creating more equity and access to workforce opportunities for young people of color.

Guardian Life’s 2021 grant supports Black Girls CODE students with tech mentoring, interactive learning experiences and personal financial literacy workshops to introduce both young high school girls and BGC alumni to the broader Insurtech community.

This year’s collaboration will include business technologists hosting an eight-week online learning lab with a weekly 90-minute session that will cover technology topics including design thinking, security, computing, data, mobile and cloud.

2020 grant funding with Black Girls CODE assisted with capacity building to launch the Ambassador and Alumnae Program, a supportive network for students and graduates to advance and thrive once hired, and provide skills-based business professionals as mentors to Black Girls CODE high school students to discuss their future career aspirations. As part of a 9/11–11/11 “Service at Home” employee volunteer campaign, Guardian Life partnered with the Black Employee Inclusion Network (BeIN) employee resource group to arrange for 100 Financial Literacy/Career Readiness Kits that were sent to Black Girls CODE high school students.

“Sustaining partnerships with organizations like Black Girls CODE is just one way Guardian is creating more opportunities in technology to build a more equitable and just society,” said Dean Del Vecchio, CIO and Chief of Operations at Guardian Life. “Very proud to be part of the effort to meet Black Girls CODE’s goal of teaching one million girls of color to code by 2040.”