United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: How Microverse is Making an Impact

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) are a universal call to action to tackle some of the world’s biggest challenges, including poverty, inequality, and climate change. To achieve these critical goals, it is important that organizations and businesses work together to create a positive impact. 

Microverse, a global, online school that provides education and opportunities for people worldwide to change their lives through technology, is helping to attain several of the United Nations Sustainable Goals. This article explores how Microverse contributes to seven UN SDGs; 4, 5, 8, 9, 10, 13, and 17.

SDG 4: Increasing Access to Quality Higher Education

One of the key challenges associated with UN SDG 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable education and promote lifelong learning opportunities, is the lack of access to higher education. It is estimated that more than 600 million people worldwide do not have access to higher education. 

Access to education is a basic human right and a crucial driver of social and economic development. Microverse is working to ensure everyone has access to quality higher education, regardless of their background or geography. With its fully remote, no upfront-cost program, Microverse eliminates geographical and financial barriers to education. This means that anyone, anywhere in the world, can access our curriculum and receive the training they need to become a successful web developer. 

Currently, more than 1500 students from over 100 countries around the world have joined Microverse to change their lives. Further, more than 75% of all students come from developing markets in South America, Africa, and Asia.

Microverse’s focus on hands-on learning and collaboration ensures that its students receive a high-quality education that prepares them for a successful career in the technology industry. By providing this education for no-upfront cost, Microverse is helping to bridge the digital divide and increase access to quality higher education.

SDG 5: Promoting Gender Equality Around the World

UN SDG 5 aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. However, there are several significant challenges associated with this goal, and according to the World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report 2022, it will take a minimum of 132 years to reach global gender parity. 

In relation to higher education, some of the main challenges are the following; 

1. Gender disparity in enrollment: Women and girls face significant barriers to accessing higher education, which hinders their ability to achieve their full academic and professional potential.
2. Gender-based violence and harassment: Sexual harassment and gender-based violence are significant problems for women in higher education, which can create a hostile environment for female students and limit their academic and career prospects. 
3. Unequal access to funding: Women and girls often have limited access to funding for higher education, particularly in low-income countries.

In response to these challenges, Microverse provides a safe and inclusive educational environment through remote learning and removes the major financial barriers to entry, by offering a train-first and pay-later model via our Income Share Agreement (ISA).

Beyond this, Microverse’s commitment to promoting gender equality is reflected in the diversity of both our student body and our workforce. While women and non-binary people currentlymake up a small portion of students enrolled in our full-time program, they make up more than half of the Microverse team. 

One of the ways we have focused on improving gender equality for our students is with our Coded By Her Initiative, where we provided 40 women worldwide with stipends to support themselves while in the program. Microverse also provides mentorship and networking opportunities to help students build their careers and improve their skills, regardless of gender or any other factors.

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

UN SGD 8 promotes sustained, inclusive, sustainable economic growth, decent working conditions, and productive employment. 

However, several key challenges are associated with this goal, including;

1. High levels of unemployment: Unemployment rates remain high in many countries, particularly amongst youth and marginalized populations.
2. Skills mismatch: There is often a mismatch between job seekers' skills and employers' needs, making it difficult for workers to find employment, particularly in developing markets.
3. Income inequality: Income inequality remains a significant issue in many countries, limiting economic growth and job creation opportunities.

In this context, Microverse is critical in promoting decent work and economic growth by providing students with the skills and connections they need to access life-changing opportunities. 

To help with this, we are developing a strong network of hiring partners looking for talented software engineers. These partners offer students employment and allow them to build successful careers in the tech industry, contributing to the development and economic growth of developing countries and communities.

SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure

UNSDG 9 aims to build resilient infrastructure, promote sustainable industrialization, and foster innovation. Several key challenges are associated with this goal, including;

1. Limited access to technology: many countries lack access to the technology, workforce, and infrastructure needed to support innovation and industrialization.
2. Lack of investment: There is often limited investment in research and development, which can limit innovation, particularly in emerging markets. 
3. Inadequate infrastructure: Inadequate infrastructure can make building industries and supporting sustainable economic growth difficult.
4. Limited access to education and training: Access to quality education and training is critical to promoting innovation and building sustainable industries, though many lack access to these resources. 

Microverse plays a crucial role in promoting innovation and sustainable industrialization by providing high-quality training to those who would otherwise not have access to it. Despite the challenges associated with infrastructure and investment, Microverse is at the forefront of innovation in education technology by supplying knowledge and skills to help drive innovation and growth in the tech industry. This ultimately helps to build more equitable and sustainable communities trained across emerging markets.  

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

UN SDG 10 aims to reduce inequality within and among countries. However, several significant challenges are associated with this goal, including; 

1. Economic inequality: Significant income gaps in socieites can lead to limited access to education and other resources for marginalized groups.
2. Discrimination and marginalization: Discrimination and marginalization can prevent certain groups from accessing education and other opportunities. 
3. Limited access to education: Many people lack access to quality education, which can perpetuate economic and social inequalities. 
4. Geographical isolation: People living in rural or remote areas may face additional challenges accessing education and other resources. 

Microverse plays a critical role in reducing inequalities by providing access to quality education to people from all backgrounds, particularly by using remote learning. 

By bridging the digital divide and providing people from developing markets with the skills they need to build successful international careers in remote working environments, Microverse is contributing to a more level playing field for all. 

SDG 13: Climate Action

The main challenge associated with UN SDG 13 is addressing the climate crisis, which poses a significant threat to our planet’s future. In the face of this, Microverse operates with a reduced carbon footprint through its distributed working environment, and by using technology to educate our students in a remote, peer-to-peer learning experience. 

To this end, Microverse removes the need for our students to commute to learning institutions, which significantly contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. 

Additionally, through our students' education, Microverse is creating a pipeline of talent to contribute to sustainable development issues, including climate change. 

Through these efforts, Microverse is helping to promote positive climate action and building a more sustainable future.

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

UN SDG 17 is focused on partnerships for the goals, emphasizing the importance of collaboration and cooperation between different stakeholders to achieve sustainable development.

Microverse recognizes that partnerships are essential to significantly impacting the SDGs, and is committed to working with various partners to achieve them. These include, but are not limited to, our investors, other educational institutions, and hiring partners. 

By leveraging these partnerships, Microverse is helping build a more equitable and sustainable future.

How we can increase the impact on UN SDGs

Microverse contributes directly to seven UN SDGs, including quality education, gender equality, decent work, economic growth, industry, innovation and infrastructure, reduced inequalities, climate action, and partnerships for the goals. We are using technology and our expertise to provide high-quality education to contribute to these goals and make a positive impact.

Are you curious about how you can help scale our impact? Or want to learn more about Microverse and how we make an impact? With a focus on education and remote work training and our commitment to sustainability, Microverse remains committed to supporting the UN SDGs and welcomes those who want to get involved. If you are interested in working together to contribute to these SDGs, you can learn more about hiring Microverse students.

Having helped thousands of individuals worldwide build new skills, improve their lives, and secure better-paying jobs in tech-related industries, Microverse will continue to focus on making an impact for years to come.