CNN Feature: How Do You Better Prepare The Youth For Work?

How CodeSpace is combatting with South Africa’s youth unemployment problem

With increasing youth unemployment in South Africa and the rising demand for digital skills, CodeSpace is on a mission to train the next generation with the coding skills to land a job and thrive in the tech industry.

CodeSpace was featured on CNN, sharing how we’re helping young people transform their careers through coding. Watch our superstar graduates, Monehi Tuoane, Kholiswa Ntshinga, Azraa Vally Anthony, and Marlon Demas, and CodeSpace co-founder Emma Dicks, share all about the power of coding in creating tech career opportunities.

Monehi’s Story

“It drastically changed my career path. I did not expect that I would be in the IT industry… As much as there’s not a lot of women in IT, there’s also not a lot of black women in the IT industry… one of the main contributing factors to that is that most black people come from a very disadvantaged family and background. So we grow up to know that the important careers, the careers that can get us far, are the ones that we are exposed to. For example, medicine, teaching… I’m amongst the few trying to change that perspective… to expose more black women to the IT industry. Coding can help solve a lot of social issues in South Africa, one of them being the unemployment issue.” – Monehi Tuoane, App Development Major.

Kholiswa’s Story

“I want to create programmes that ultimately impact and change the lives of South Africans. I plan on doing that by creating life-changing algorithms.” – Kholiswa Ntshinga, Developer.

Marlon’s Story

“Before I was a software developer, I was a waiter and a delivery driver… After six months I started my first job as a web developer… I never thought I’d be able to become someone that’s a developer because I always had this idea in my head that that is only for like really smart people, people who come from those kind of backgrounds, but ever since getting into I’ve seen that there’s so much opportunity and literally anyone can become a developer.” – Marlon Demas, Software Developer.

On a mission to get more young women into tech roles

“Women are underrepresented in the tech industry. My goal from the start has always been to teach people who don’t actually see themselves in the tech industry. I was particularly interested in capturing the attention of young black women, women who might be the first ones in their family to go into high-earning professional employment, and I wanted young women to experience that coding is just so powerful and creative, and ultimately for them to experience that it’s achievable.” – Emma Dicks, CodeSpace Co-founder.

Coding is for everyone, including YOU!

So if you’re Interested in learning coding for yourself, sign up for our Software Development course and start your journey to your dream tech career.