Earlier this month, our She Codes Plus cohort visited Bunnings’ Support Centre in Perth to discover what a day in the life for their tech employees looks like. It was a great opportunity for them to experience what life post-program could look like. Check it out below!
From exploring the life of a developer, to understanding the culture of the team at Bunnings, and discovering potential post-program opportunities, our Bunnings Immersion Day was jam-packed from start to finish.
“Giving our cohort’s a sneak peek of real-world applications for their new skills, and how they can be applied in roles post-program, is a crucial and fun part of the Plus program.” She Codes founder, Kate Kirwin shared. “We don’t just teach technical skills here, we build connections and relationships with industry that provide benefits long beyond our final showcase.”
To kick off the day, Rachel Power, Delivery Manager at Bunnings, (who shared her story with us earlier in the year, check it out here!) set the scene about the technology transformation journey Bunnings has been on over the past few years. Some of the key statistics she shared with the cohort included how Bunnings has over 55,000 team members across Australia and New Zealand working both in stores and store support, the Bunnings website records 10 million weekly sessions and currently lists more than 100,000 products.
Next up was Simon Gemser, Delivery Manager at Bunnings, who ran a “Lean Coffee” meeting – where our cohort had the opportunity to pick from a range of topics to discuss. This ranged from how they celebrate success and what diversity means to Bunnings, to how they use specific technologies in their daily roles.
We covered the demand for flexible working in today’s society, and how the Technology Delivery team uses an Agile Working framework. This intended to bring people, processes, connectivity and technology, time and place together to find the most effective and efficient ways of working.
Unsurprisingly, the top-rated topic of the day was Bunnings Careers, as we talked about Bunnings’ commitment to ongoing career development and training for team members, and the training and professional development opportunities available to Bunnings team members. This includes team access to online courses, an internal leadership pathway, a Microsoft traineeship program to name a few.
“Life-long learning is fundamental to most job roles, but in a technical environment it’s important to keep your skills fresh, which is why it’s so exciting to see businesses offering in-house training and opportunities to upskill at every step in your career.” Kate shared in response to how Bunnings prioritise professional development.
To finish up the formal sessions, the technology team presented a series of live demonstrations and lightning talks on a range of topics including testing, life as a junior developer, and some insights into the backend code behind Bunning’s platforms.
After a delicious afternoon tea and casual conversation, we wrapped up with some speed networking between the cohort and the technology delivery team. Leaving the day with new networks, interesting learnings and a new perspective on the future – it was a win, win for all.
With their passion to speed up digital innovation and create diverse teams within their company, She Codes is delighted to work with Bunnings to bridge the gender gap in the tech industry. Continue following the journey between She Codes and Bunnings by staying up to date with our social media!