This year, we are happy to announce that we are back again for the fifth time with Build@Mercari 2024!

In this article, we will go over what Build@Mercari is, look back at its history, and relay to you what updates have been made for this year’s iteration of the program.

Interested? Click here to apply: Build at Mercari 2024, Software Engineer (Training) – Mercari

What is Build@Mercari?

Build@Mercari is an online training and internship program. It focuses on people who, for any number of reasons, have not received certain opportunities in life. The program particularly emphasizes support for women and members of the LGBT+ community, groups that are especially underrepresented in STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and tech fields. The inception of the program was in 2019, and 2024 will mark the fifth iteration.

What led to the creation of the program was Mercari’s intentions to create an organization where diverse talent can thrive.

Today, people with a variety of talents are active in the tech industry. On the other hand, it is an unfortunate fact that some people from minority backgrounds or in less privileged positions in life may not have received a full education or been granted opportunities to pursue the careers they want.

As a company that strives to promote diversity and inclusion, Mercari started the Build@Mercari program to help unleash the potential of underrepresented minority groups who are interested in entering STEM and tech fields.

? Mercan has published articles reporting on the previous iterations of Build@Mercari as well. Take a look if you’re interested!

Build@Mercari | mercan (メルカン)
Build@Mercari | mercan

Looking back at five years of Build@Mercari

Build@Mercari, entering its fifth year, has been launched and executed by various members over the years, all coming together under the goal of creating a future where diverse talent can thrive even further. To commemorate the fifth iteration, let’s take a look back at the history of this program.

Build@Mercari’s history begins in 2018. An engineer at Mercari, who had just received their offer to join the company, put together a project document to share with other Mercari employees, which later became the basis for Build@Mercari.

In its planning phase, the program only targeted female students who wished to be software engineers, but after receiving comments from and holding discussions with other members, the scope was expanded to include all people who, for any number of reasons, have not received certain chances in life (especially minorities in STEM and tech fields, like women, the LGBT+ community, or other people who feel that they are part of an underrepresented group). The first iteration was organized by the D&I Team (as it was called then).

The pandemic forced the program to very quickly switch to an online-only environment, but even so it was successfully completed with 11 participants. Some of those participants were later able to take on various challenges, such as internships, and eventually be recruited full-time as engineers.

From the second year onward, the program was expanded to include Merpay, another Mercari Group company.
Moreover, for the third and fourth iterations, hackathons were organized to provide opportunities for trainees to demonstrate what they learned in front of employees.

As you can see, the program has been updated and expanded each year, bringing us to the upcoming fifth iteration.

Updates for Build@Mercari 2024

So what is new this time? Allow us to explain with three major points!

Training sessions moved from May to February for participants to focus on the program during spring break

The two-week Build Training Program, held in May up to now, has been moved to February, so that participants can use the spring break to make the time to focus on learning.

Offline sessions revived

Build@Mercari had to be conducted online for years due to the effects of the pandemic. This time, however, all participants based in Japan will be able to join the first-day orientation session offline in Mercari’s Tokyo office.
Note: As a general rule, Mercari will cover transportation and lodging expenses for all participants coming from outside the Greater Tokyo Area.

For Build@Mercari, the participants will be separated into groups of five to eight people, where they will be able to consult each other for the goal of learning together. We believe that holding the orientation offline will build stronger relationships between the participants, as well as between participants and their mentors, serving as a great kick-off for the program.

Proactively accepting high school students

At Mercari, we strive to nurture the next generation of tech talent. The participants of past iterations of Build@Mercari were mostly students of universities and professional training schools, but this time we will be proactively recruiting high school students and technical college students who wish to perform as tech talents of the future.

The structure of the training program for Build@Mercari 2024

The curriculum of Build@Mercari is prepared in a way that will teach every participant how to build a mini Mercari service of their own. By completing the below steps in order, trainees will be able to acquire the skills necessary for building a service one by one.

Step 1: Building an Environment (Go or Python)
Step 2: Introduction to Git
Step 3: Web API Development
Step 4: Introduction to Databases
Step 5: Introduction to Docker
Step 6: Implementing Continuous Integration (CI)
Step 7: Frontend Development
Step 8: Data Analysis

Note: The contents may be subject to minor changes.

Testimonials from previous participants

Now accepting applications!

Applications for the Build Training Program, to be held between February 17th and 29th, 2024 (February 16th to 29th for participants based overseas), are open from December 1st, 2023!
Visit the URL below for details on application requirements, and don’t forget to apply!

Interested? Click here to apply:Build at Mercari 2024, Software Engineer (Training) – Mercari

For a detailed information session:Click here