https://emeritus.org/blog/coding-is-coding-a-good-career/

That’s why we offer an AI-powered web application that enables organizations to teach digital skills to youth and young adults from low socioeconomic backgrounds through project-based learning and individual mentoring.

How can we think of project-based learning using an AI?

What was futuristic in Star Trek (Captain Kirk exchanges ideas with intelligent computers until a solution emerges) is possible at our CodeDoor learning platform: learners can tailor a project for themselves and generate feedback on their ideas. Based on their existing knowledge, they build new ones – according to their own wishes. In doing so, they receive sound help from our AI.

This may sound surprising today, but logical and simple – and it is. However, this type of training is only possible due to the technical progress of recent years.

As early as the 1980s, educationalist Benjamin Bloom discovered that learners benefit from “mastery-based learning” (learning “knowledge packages” based on prior knowledge) and additional tutoring. In individual lessons with precisely tailored tasks and targeted support, a significantly higher increase in knowledge can be recorded than in classical learning situations.

For a long time, the consistent implementation of these findings seemed impossible, as it was neither financially nor personnel-wise feasible – mostly to the detriment of those who need individual support. Nevertheless, it was clear that such qualification processes, based on individual learning materials and tutoring, would represent a decisive enrichment of the educational landscape.

Learning made easy!

What was still a utopia 30 years ago has become reality today – thanks to technological progress: with the help of AI – and for the masses!

CodeDoor has been involved in the training of IT professionals for several years now and came to another realization: Those who develop an individual project while learning – based on their own previous knowledge and wishes – are more motivated and learn faster!

Imagine you need to learn more about space and weightlessness. At the same time you are a big sneaker fan. Wouldn’t learning be much more exciting and at the same time easier if you could develop a shoe that is suitable for space? And now imagine you have access to a machine that gives you validated feedback on your ideas and new impetus for further research, from problem finding to prototyping!

This is how our learners make impressive progress. Successful alumni are launching careers they never dreamed of: an unqualified apprentice now heads the sales department of a German SME, a high school dropout works in the IT team of a major newspaper, and a refugee mother of three travels across Europe to implement new IT systems for her clients.

We love every single story and are more than proud to have been part of the motivational development of our learners.

All the NCPC members contributed to a fruitful and enriching discussing, as they have suggested relevant modifications to the aforementioned outputs based on their valuable expertise. It was also a moment to share some meaningful thoughts on the project’s main goals. Thank you all for this great exchange of knowledge!

For more information, please visit our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/Code4SP

In the case of Europe, the 2015 migrant crisis pushed toward that direction to provide migrants, refugees and asylum seekers with coding skills.  Programs initiated during that time were primarily based on the urgent demands of the tech sector and the mismatch found in the labour market. Even though the mismatch is still apparent, the needs have changed once again. They require more advanced technical skills involving cybersecurity, cloud computing, software development, blockchain, and virtual or augmented reality, among others (CareerHigher Team, 2022). Alice Schaus (2020) poses some interesting questions: “What does it take to become a developer or a data scientist and to find employment opportunities as a refugee? Can anyone become a developer?… How can organizations know whether they are investing in the right skills, skills which make sense today and tomorrow, and which are adapted to the context?” (par. 3).

These are all valid questions that might seem initially tricky to answer. However, the answers require us to take a closer look at the implementation of coding programs. UNHCR’s Connectivity for Refugees initiative experimented with refugee camps in Malawi and Rwanda to better understand possible issues that should be considered (Schaus, 2020). Emphasis was placed on finding the right partners and infrastructure, developing a curriculum that focuses on both soft and hard skills, creating pathways for employment and further education, and setting appropriate quality assurance mechanisms.  These issues are fundamental to ensure that migrants, refugees and asylum seekers have the right skills and relevant employment opportunities to participate actively in the labour market. A program that considers the issues mentioned above has the highest chances of success in promoting social inclusion through the in-demand skill of coding.

Schaus, A. (2020). The refugee coding school trend: lessons and reflections. UNHCR Innovation Service. Retrieved from https://medium.com/unhcr-innovation-service/the-refugee-coding-school-trend-lessons-and-reflections-5b6ee8168bc

CareerHigher Team (2022). Top Tech Skills in Demand 2022. Retrieved from https://www.careerhigher.co/career-advice/top-tech-skills-in-demand-2022-125573/

Belonging to a community makes learning easier. You will find people struggling with the same topics as you and people who have already overcome them. You will find a place where you belong and grow within the challenges. You will see that even though you spend a lot of time focused alone on solving bugs, several people understand what it entails.

Here is a list of benefits that may inspire you to find your coding community:

1) Helps you learn faster and keep you going when learning seems tedious: the members of your community will help you decrease the moments of laziness and procrastination, and they will push you to focus;

2) Keeps you up-to-speed with trending technologies: the tech world is constantly being upgraded and updated, and it’s impossible to be up to speed with all your readings, but in a community, you will be able to learn from others’ knowledge-sharing;

3) Makes learning to code fun: your community will get you and will understand what you are going through and will help you enjoy the journey;

4) Helps you work through coding difficulties in real-time: sometimes, you will spend hours solving a problem that some other coder can solve in minutes if you reach out for help. In a community, you will have access to peers that can help you when you struggle, and you will be able to save time;

5) They serve as a source of challenge: seeing a fellow programmer solve a problem that you spend countless hours thinking about it will make you try harder;

6) Networking: you will meet people and personalities you will never encounter on your own and develop long relationships and networks.

You can find online or offline communities and should join at least one per coding language you are learning. With time, you will understand which one works better for you.

You can also ask for recommendations from Google or close programmer friends regarding which ones to join.

Learning communities are indispensable to learning how to code faster and more efficiently. Don’t be afraid to search; make the most use possible out of them.

Are you convinced now about the importance of finding a community?

Anastasia Thoma, EU Project Manager

Tell us a few words about your background:

Anastasia Thoma graduated from Lancaster University, UK, with a BSc in Biomedicine and MSc in Environmental and Biochemical Toxicology. She also holds a PhD in Health Sciences from Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, and an Associate Fellowship in Teaching and Learning awarded by the Higher Education Academy, UK. At the University of Sheffield, UK, Anastasia has also gained Postdoctoral Research experience in translational research focusing on neurodegenerative diseases. Anastasia is interested in project management and being involved in creative projects that can have a positive impact.

What organisation do you work for?

Centre for Social Innovation (CSI), Cyprus.

What does your organisation do?

Centre for Social Innovation (CSI) is a Research and Development organization which focuses on fostering social innovation that can bring about a positive change to local, national, regional and global contexts. CSI belief is that the four pillars of Social Interaction, Education, Development and Economic Rationalization coupled with fundamentally sound and sustainable solutions as well as disruption to streamlined solutions to systemic social problems can lead to creative solutions that impact significant change to the social fabric of every society. CSI is working closely to address social, economic and cultural challenges with governments, local administrative agencies, non-for-profit agencies, commercial entities, and educational institutions. CSI identifies and addresses systemic challenges through evidence-based research, state-of-the-art investigation of global, national, regional and local solutions, developing solutions by taking into consideration the local ecosystem, and cultural dynamics, meet the stakeholders’ needs and implementing those solutions as CSI keeps constant vigilance to ensure continual feedback loop and adjustments. The areas of expertise are in the fields of social integration, intercultural education, Vocational Education and Training, labour, education planning and e-learning, project management, project evaluation services, product validation, and training.

What is your role in the Code4SP project? What are you currently working on?

Anastasia will mainly focus on providing excellent social support  for the implementation of the Code4SP project and particularly, training activities that have direct impact on vulnerable individuals on behalf of CSI.

Why is being part of the Code4SP project important to you?

Coding is undoubtedly a hard but currently a chief skill in various fields. It is extremely important to me that Code4SP recognises the importance of increasing the number of ICT experts in Mediterranean countries, including Cyprus, by developing training programmes, but also by supporting vulnerable socio-economic groups. This is extremely important to be taken into consideration given that vulnerable groups have limited opportunities to gain ICT skills, including coding and advance within the rapidly transforming digital world.

How do you like to spend your free time?

Reading scientific journals.

Kostas Diamantis- Balaskas, project manager at Action Synergy

Tell us a few words about your background:

I have studied Communication and Media at the Panteion University of Political and Social Sciences in Athens and I have an MSc in European Politics and Government from the London School of Economics in UK. I have been working as a project manager, specialised in European educational projects for the last 16 years (starting from 2006). Besides Greek which is my mother tongue, I also speak English, Italian, and a little bit of Spanish.

What organisation do you work for?

I am working for Action Synergy

What does your organisation do?

Action Synergy is an education and training organisation that specialises in the design and delivery of innovative educational programs for various sectors including school education, adult education and vocational education and training. Action Synergy is working to promote networking and cooperation between stakeholders from different sectors and has been participating in EU educational projects since 1987.

What is your role in the Code4SP project? What are you currently working on?

In the Code4SP project, I manage and coordinate the activities that need to be organised in Greece on behalf of Action Synergy. I am the coordinator of the project’s pilot implementation phase, which is going to start soon, and it is the phase where our main target group (people from vulnerable groups) is going to be involved. 

Why is being part of the Code4SP project important to you?

Code4SP is a great project because it corresponds to a real need and its potential impact in relation to the increase of the employability of the beneficiaries is great. I enjoy being part of this young and motivated partnership and trying to make a difference in the life of people, that would really take a lot from this project.

How do you like to spend your free time?

I like to play with my son, who is 8 years old, and also I like to read everything related to politics and history. In the summer, I love to go to the beach!

Laura Azorín – Fundraising Manager

Tell us a few words about your background:

I am Laura Azorín, I have a background in Business Administation and Managament by the University of Zaragoza (Spain). I specialized in Social Economy Entities Management, as I was driven by the desire of focusing in social impact and work for integration, equality, justice and change.

I had the opportunity to work in different social enterprises and associations while studying and after finishing the degree. After that, I found Social Hackers Academy. I have been here for almost two years now. I can say that it has been a great experience. Working in the fundraising department is such an enriching experience. You get to connect with many different people from different backgrounds, it allows you to expand your perspectives and you get to

What organisation do you work for?

Social Hackers Academy

What does your organisation do?

Social Hackers Academy was born in September 2017, in Athens. The main objective is providing vulnerable people with a quality education on advanced digital skills, through web development and coding. We want to achieve a world where everyone has equal access to education, the labor market, and a future-proof Career.

We have a free 7-month Full Stack Web Development course for vulnerable people. Inside the system, we not only focus on the hard skills but also on the soft skills as they are key to getting a complete and competitive professional profile. For that, we follow a holistic approach, with an employability (non-cognitive skills) curriculum of 6 months, parallel to the hard-skills course.

SHA’s mission is to provide a Long Term solution by focusing on their education and assisting them in their future employability, getting a job in the ICT industry, and becoming financially independent. Hence, we develop partnerships with IT companies that agree to take into account our students when recruiting, having internships, etc.

I am the Project Manager of Social Hackers Academy for the Code4SP project. I am the responsible of coordinating internally (within SHA) and externally (within the consortium) to make sure that the tasks are being completed the best way possible. At the moment, we are dealing with two main tasks inside SHA.

We are connecting with companies to involve them in the project, with the goal of having them joining our Database of affiliated Regional, Local and National Enterprises.

On the other hand, we are also organizing how the piloting courses are going to look like, which educators are going to be in charge and establishing an internal timeline for that.

Why is being part of the Code4SP project important to you?

Social Hackers Academy feels very grateful and humble to be part of this project. On the one hand, because it aligns perfectly with SHA, its mission and vision. The project aims to achieve a policy reform by creating a concrete operational method. For Social Hackers Academy, it is amazing to be part of a project that takes our mission and is able to replicate it in so many contexts, being of help to so many people coming from vulnerable groups like migrants, refugees and young people from disadvantaged backgrounds.

Understanding the good practice from CodeDoor and its methodology is an opportunity for SHA, as well as for the rest of the partners, to replicate and scale the model beyond what we ever expected.

How do you like to spend your free time?

There are so many things I like to do in my free time. Some of my favourite things to do are having walks in the nature or hikings, taking care of my plants/garden, spending time with my cats, practising yoga, cooking and of course, spending time with the people I love having nice conversations with a good coffee (or a good wine, let’s be honest).