Overview

Young people in Kenya today live in complex and challenging times. Faced with a myriad of difficulties especially in the initial workforce entry. It is estimated that 750,000 young people enter the workplace annually, yet only 15% get absorbed into formal employment. Consequently, the rest of the youth cohorts (85%) take up informal work and/or face the brunt of poverty. High unemployment rates are attributed to the low absorptive capacity of the economy, weak implementation, and coordination of youth-targeted employment interventions; lack of skills relevant to the workplace by the young people; lack of information on available job opportunities; lack of networks and connections among youth; lack of experience and credentials that address employers' risk in making hiring commitments and lack of available jobs suited to entry-level skills. Access to education and productive employment or income-generating opportunities is the surest way to improve one's economic and social standing. The week of code initiative aims to mitigate the above challenges by encouraging young people, especially at the university level to develop Entrepreneurial minds. Moreover, create opportunities for themselves as well as other members of society through the development of e-solutions. The week of code will prepare young people to appreciate and take the initiative to create e-solutions through the coding skills gained. Beneficiaries will also be taken through the fundamentals of Digital entrepreneurship to enable them to become 'Technoprenuers'. ACWICT has over the years implemented the week of code initiative in partnership with Universities (JKUAT, Kenyatta University, ZETECH, Nazarene) and Highschools (Starehe Girls and Nembu Girls)reaching over 2000 youth at different levels of their education.