11 Sep 2017 Spotlight on Red Academy

This week’s Spotlight on Tech focuses on Red Academy, a leading-edge design & technology school. They offer programs in digital marketing, UX & UI design, web & app development, & more! Continue reading to learn more about their company culture and goals for the upcoming year.

Describe your company and your primary product(s) and/or service(s).

RED Academy is a design and technology school with campuses in Vancouver, Toronto and London, UK. We offer full-time and part-time programs in web and app development, user experience and user interface design, and digital marketing. We work with our students on real client projects to build their portfolios, help them get their first role in tech and launch a meaningful career.

How many employees currently work at your company?

40-50 full-time employees and 30-40 part-time employees across all 3 campuses.

Where are you located?

We are located in the historic Kaplan heritage building on the corner of West Broadway and Granville Street with easy access to the 99-B line, skytrains and downtown Vancouver. Our Toronto campus is located in a trendy fashion district on Wellington and Spadina, conveniently situated by rapid transit. Our London campus is located in the historic Aldwych House, a central area full of designers, tech companies and financial institutions.

Describe the culture at your company.

We strive to be design and technology innovators that lead with our hearts, and go above and beyond to make impact in the world. We live this purpose as best as we can and empower our students to do the same. We’ve created a network of support for each other both personally and professionally. It’s this connection and sense of community that truly makes us one family. Oh, and we love dogs. We love dogs.

What does your leadership team (and company as a whole) do to support/grow that culture?

We try to uphold our culture and values by hiring the right people, setting a compelling vision for the future and providing teams with the right resources and communication for success. Our leadership team encourages autonomous decision-making, empowering employees to hold themselves accountable, take ownership of their career paths and innovate the process. We’re also given opportunities to celebrate and appreciate our individual wins and feel supported in our roles.

When your employees talk about your company, what do they brag about?

At RED we have the privilege of making an impact everyday. We get to interact with amazing people, watch them grow their skills, and achieve success. That is the single most fulfilling thing about what we do. We are also connected to the community through our Community Partner program. Not only do students get to work on real client projects and build their portfolios, they also get to help these local, impact-driven startups, entrepreneurs and small businesses receive services they need to grow.

Describe your most recent achievement, milestone, reason for bragging rights.

Lucky for us, we encounter an achievement and milestone every time one of our students gets hired! Apart from that, we recently graduated our 1000th student, launched a campus in London, UK, and created RED Labs which is a program for student to accelerate building their portfolios with high-profile impact organizations.

What kinds of roles are you hiring for?

As a company who is constantly growing, we are always looking for people to make an impact through tech. For our instructor roles, we encourage industry folks to consider sharing not just their technical skills, but also their interpersonal skills. It’s a great way to take a break from the industry, try something new, become part of a strong network, and return to the industry with newfound skills. Check out our current opportunities and give us a shout to find out more!

What kinds of people are you looking for?

We’re looking for people who embody our culture and values. We’re looking for ambitious individuals who have solid experience in their particular area of tech, are passionate about sharing their skills with others, and of course, are driven by creating impact. At RED, we are essentially helping grow the tech industry in BC, raising awareness about the necessary skills and the job market. We’re looking for good people who want to be part of that.

What is your company goal for the coming year?

In the coming year we have a few goals! We are aiming for a successful London campus opening, the launch of our International Work-Study programs, finding even more amazing impact-driven businesses to connect our students with for their projects, and of course, hosting amazing events including our Social Fridays where we tend to see ping-pong, beer-pong, board-game and karaoke champions every cohort.

For more information, visit us at www.redacademy.com