Code for Cape Town 2.75

Code4CT is a program based in Cape Town, South Africa that introduces high school girls to basic web building skills and expose them to opportunities in the IT industry. Code4CT aims to inspire and empower a generation of young girls who are well-prepared with a toolkit of technical and soft skills to achieve high impact in the work place.
Participants reported that the program broadened their perspective about career opportunities and showed them that IT is an exciting career path with the opportunity for social impact. Through using coding and web building skills to tackle a real local challenge, the participants were exposed to how IT can be applied to solve problems. Participants reported a significant increase in their self-efficacy regarding problem solving. The Code4CT curriculum achieved a successful balance between skills acquisition and a fun learning environment. Participants made highly satisfactory progress in acquiring skills but still described the experience as ‘Fun’, ‘Creative’ and ‘Encouraging’. Participants learnt hard web building and design skills but more importantly learnt how to self- teach. The participants reported an increase in self-efficacy as a result of the program and increased motivation to pursue further skills development. These outcomes make the program’s impact robust and sustainable.
In 2015, Code4CT aims to triple the number of participants by holding three events concurrently in different venues across Cape Town. The program will focus on post-engagement with the learners such that the holiday program is merely the start of an ongoing learning experience. By building a robust and scalable model, Code4CT aims to provide a pipeline for many high capacity individuals to enter the workplace.