The digital economy in Türkiye has great potential to stimulate much needed labour market growth. According to government figures, 95% of employers in Türkiye are unable to fill open positions due to a growing mismatch between traditional education and the needs of the labour market, which only became worse during the global pandemic. 

Positioned at the epicenter of one of the most volatile regions in the world, Türkiye has been highly exposed to exogenous shocks, from regional conflict to the fluctuation of commodity prices. The country hosts the highest number of refugees in the world. All of these factors compound existing challenges to economic growth and job creation. Through the Economic Resilience through COVID-19 programme and financed by the Qatar Fund for Development, SPARK partnered with, Re:Coded, a non-profit empowering tech leaders with digital skills to develop the Frontend Web Development Bootcamp. The bootcamp bridges the gap between the needs of the digital industry in Türkiye and the job-seeking youth, with a focus on women and refugees.

ReCoded’s Chief Student Officer, Ben Miller, said: “Investing in coding bootcamps for underserved and refugee youth is an investment in the future of Türkiye’s economy and society.”

By boosting the skills of young people that are market-relevant and necessary to build a sustainable career in software development, the programme aims to tackle unemployment while supporting the growth of the digital economy.

“Through intensive training and hands-on experience, these programmes provide young people with the skills and knowledge they need to succeed in the fast-paced, constantly-evolving tech industry,” said Ben Miller. 

Kicking off on September 8, 2022, the bootcamp provided a three-step learning journey starting with web development fundamentals, such as JavaScript and React, and ending with students developing unique professional portfolio projects. Throughout this process, students worked in teams and collaborated with web developers to develop real-world solutions. 

Post-graduation career support

As this programme comes to an end, a graduation ceremony will be held inFebruary, where all the students will be able to showcase their Capstone projects. But the journey does not end there. 

After the conclusion of the bootcamp, 75% of the graduates will qualify for 6-month post-graduation career services and employment facilitation. During this time, the students will receive help from career coaches and have access to Recoded’s network of private sector tech partners such as Getir, Atlassian, SmartUp Network, and Akinon Tech. This is expected to boost the employability of the graduates, which has worked for previous Re:coded students who went on to work in many leading companies and/or to launch their own businesses. 

“My ambition after the Bootcamp is to find a job first as frontend developer so I can earn more experience and continue learning to become a full stack and more maybe,” said Ahmad Al-Hariri, one of the participants.