Accenture hosted an Hour of Code Hackathon in Johannesburg recently to teach learners from Alexandra, Soweto and Diepsloot how to code.
According to the company, the initiative was part of the company's collaboration with Code.org to support Hour of Code, a global educational movement that reaches tens of millions of students through a one-hour introduction to computer science and computer programming, in light of Computer Science Education Week.
The partnership, now in its second year, is part of the company's commitment to inspire and expand the opportunities for students to learn coding and computer science skills.
Speaking at the event held in Woodmead, Johannesburg on Friday, Khethiwe Nkuna, corporate citizenship lead for Accenture SA, said the hackathon is designed to prove that anyone can learn the basics of coding and have fun doing it.
"We have taken youth from disadvantage backgrounds from Diepsloot, Alexandra and Soweto and we are exposing them to the world of computer science through Scratch mobile, a very basic coding language. They have developed videos related to Computer Science Education Week. We want to show young people that within the ICT field there are infinite opportunities and coding is only one of them. In future we will have a year-long programme, where we take around 60 pupils for coding lessons every Saturday," she explained.
Paul Daugherty, Accenture's chief technology and innovation officer and chief coder, said the need for more computer science graduates has never been greater.
"Last year, there were 500 000 new computing jobs available in the US, but only 40 000 qualified graduates to fill them. We all must do more to close the skills gap and prepare students to join the workforce of the future. In today's digital world, exposing each and every student - particularly girls and minorities - to coding is just as critical as teaching reading, writing and arithmetic. I am proud of the personal commitments Accenture employees are making to help introduce students to computer programming and the vast opportunities available to them in the computer science field," Daugherty pointed out.
Accenture employees in more than 200 cities across 55 countries have pledged to complete more than 10 000 Hours of Code, he continued. This includes more than 2 000 hours pledged by Accenture employees to lead local events or volunteer at schools in their communities by working with teachers and Code.org to help students learn the basics of coding through online tutorials that inspire students to continue learning.
"The skills shortage in SA is one of the biggest challenges facing the ICT industry. The industry is very male-dominated and not many women are aware of the opportunities within the field, which is why Accenture also provides scholarships for youth wishing to pursue a career in the ICT field," concluded Nkuna.
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