On October 18, 2018, the Regina Open Door Society (RODS) held its inaugural Working Code Hackathon. Working with Innovation Saskatchewan and Innovation Place, the event was designed to bring together newcomers to Canada and the tech sector.

Many newcomers have professional experience and education in technology, and can’t easily find employment in their field. RODS identified this as an issue, and worked with Innovation Saskatchewan to help bridge the gap. The Working Code Hackathon had 14 participants that broke into teams to solve one of five presented challenges with a technological solution.

The Hackathon participants had the day to devise their solution, and presented to a panel of judges from ISM, Vivvo Applications, SaskTel International, SaskPower, Solvera, sMedia and Dasro Consulting. The presented solutions impressed the judging team, and many Hackathon participants made important connections for job interviews with the companies attending the event. Seven participants met with different employers for job interviews, and three have already found work with SaskTel International, SaskPower and ISM.

“The greatest success from this event is that it provided a unique platform for newcomers with professional backgrounds in the IT sector to showcase their skills and connect with employers,” says Victoria Flores, Employer Liaison/Job Developer at RODS. “We are very excited to see the level engagement with participating employers grow as a result of this event, and we are very excited to host it again next year.”

The Hackathon also led RODS to a more robust partnership with ISM, and they will host an open house and group interview session in January 2019. The event, located at ISM, will connect IT professionals directly with hiring managers through group interview sessions. Plans are also in the works for another Hackathon event in spring 2019.

To learn more about the Regina Open Door Society, visit rods.sk.ca.