Kodluyoruz: Coding the future

How a Turkish company is bridging the social-economic divide by equipping disadvantaged youths with the skills to succeed in the software industry. Kodluyoruz is a non-governmental organisation established in 2016 which vision is to make Türkiye a worldwide talent hub in the technology sector, empowering the next generation of young professionals to thrive in the Industry 4.0 era and to dream of a better future, with a particular focus on empowering women in the sector. They developed a curriculum focused on both technical and social skills, and started running bootcamps lasting 2 to 6 months, as an extra-curricular activity, where students learn coding languages, AI, social skills, teamwork, and how to give constructive feedback. After the initial bootcamp, students then move into the ‘development phase’ and work on real-world projects to apply what they’ve learned. They have also recently developed and introduced new content on how to use AI for coaching and interview preparation. How Kodluyoruz’s programme is bridging the social-economic divide Youth unemployment in Türkiye is high at around 16%, meaning roughly 1 in 6 young people are out of work, and many are also not in school or training either. But youth unemployment isn’t just a problem in Türkiye; it’s common in the UK and other European countries too. We said this is a potential, because with technology we can upskill these young people, we can teach them coding from scratch and help them start careers in tech...