Thanks to the fourth industrial revolution careers in programming have grown in popularity.
Due to this, it has never been a better time for young people to tap into the programming industry.
Software programming, described simply, is the process of designing and building a computer program to execute certain tasks.
The digital educational institution WeThinkCode_ is currently offering space for 100 candidates into their tuition-free, two-year software programming course which starts in July.
Having recently opened a campus in Durban, the academy aims to be as inclusive as possible, opening its doors to anyone between the ages of 17 and 35 with an interest in programming. No previous experience or qualifications in the industry are required to enter the course.
Nyari Samushonga, the institutions CEO, said they were excited to tap into the talent in South Africa.
“We know that South Africa has a vast pool of untapped talent with the aptitude to be trained in technology. At the same time, our youth unemployment is among the highest in the world. Our plans are based on the desire to give more South Africans the opportunity to join the digital world and help build the country’s technology skills capability.
“The Durban metropole has seen significant growth in business activity over the past few years, hence our decision to open a campus there. This is an exciting development for us,” said Samushonga.
Even though the tech-focussed academy is mostly digital, they chose to open a campus in Durban so as to maintain their blended-learning approach.
It is also important for the institution to have a place where students and faculty members can gather.
“A physical space for learning facilitates community, inspiration, innovation and provides a safe place for our students to share experiences and iron out challenges they may be facing in mastering the coursework,” said Samushonga.
The academy is also hoping to receive female applicants so as to change the narrative that the programming field is for men.
“WeThinkCode_ is open to everyone. Specifically, we aim to increase the number of women programmers on our course and our target is for women to exceed 40 per cent of our student contingent in 2021,” Samushonga says.
However, geographical expansion and the inclusion of more women are not the only evolutionary processes happening at WeThinkCode_.
“Finding candidates with the right aptitude and attitude is crucial and therefore we are using a newly-developed approach to identify youth with the required cognitive skills.
“These are individuals that would otherwise be overlooked by traditional selection methods. In addition, we draw on the expertise of leading technologists for the design of our course material. These experts are continually updating the curriculum content to keep it relevant as the technology landscape changes,” Samushonga explained.
Potential candidates for the course will be invited to join boot camps that are taking place at the Convention House located at 125 Florence Nzama Street in Kingsmead, Durban.
For those that are interested in applying for this course, applications are open online at apply.wethinkcode.co.za.
