NGO helps Young People with Coding Skills

The work world is forever changing, so are the tools which are needed to do what is expected of one. To counter this, Arlene Mulder, Yossi Hasson and Camille Ago founded a tech company that would see hundreds of young people become more employable after completing the programming
and coding course.

The free two-year programming and coding courses, which according to the founders, aims to solve what they have obsessed as a scarce skill in South Africa.

According to the founders these young people who enrol in these short courses learn to use coding as a tool to solve problems in a peer-oriented environment as well as use relevant data in order to solve problems.

“[The] peer-oriented environment lets students evaluate and review each other’s work in order to provide feedback for improvement. Students will also gain 8-months work-experience during their studies. The institution also provides MICT SETA NQF Level 5 certification,” they explained.

What is also amazing about this programme is that a person who wants to enrol doesn’t really have to have knowledge of either programming or coding, unlike some skills training opportunities which require one to at least have some sound knowledge prior to taking part in the course offered.
“WeThinkCode offers programming and coding studies completely free without any previous coding experience requirements as well as Matric being optional. Students are required to study full time 8 – 10 hours due to intensity of the curriculum. Paid internship opportunities are also offered to
students so as to provide professional and practical application of skills learned,” the organisation further explained.

In an interview with IT Web, co-founder Mulder explained that at first, a four-week selection boot camp (which forms part of a three part series of boot camps) is held annually to find talented young students who can join the coding school. She said that around 100 students are taking part in the first of three boot camps and working through multiple coding challenges to fight for limited spaces in the WeThinkCode two-year training programme, set to kick off in May.

When the student has successfully completed the course they stand a chance to be offered a job or internship opportunities with one of the company’s sponsors such as First National Bank, Derivco, Telcom, Rand Merchant Bank, Standard Bank, Investec, Platform 45, UCS Solutions, Britehouse, EOH and many others.

The training takes place at two of its campuses which are in Johannesburg and Cape Town.

Editor’s Note:
Coding can have an impact on the lives of young people who are interested in learning the language of a personal computer which helps them to navigate the digital space even in their professional life.

Description:
Each year, WeThinkCode (an organisation that was founded three years ago to help young people between the ages of 17 and 35 to learn how to code) helps thousands of these young people get the proper skills they need to compete in their careers. These skills are taught for free and interested
participants are invited to apply.

Editor: Thato Mahlangu
Project Manager: Anirle de Meyer