As the world advances technologically and increasingly becomes aware of the need for inclusion and diversity, it is important that organisations embrace innovation to cater to the new world requirements.
In June 2018, Outbox launched Outbox EDU, a work readiness programme focused on equipping young people with industry-relevant digital skills through accelerated learning. These range from software development skills, digital marketing to data analysis. The programme focuses on equipping youth with market-relevant technical and transferable soft skills. The youth trained are with or without a tech background. For the last one year, our primary focus has been on software development.
In June 2019, exactly a year after the program was launched, Outbox made a deliberate move to include more women and people with disabilities into the tech industry.
As such, we were able to provide scholarships to seven (7) deaf students courtesy of our partnership with Light for the World, a global disability & development organization, under ‘Make 12.4% work’, an initiative aimed at encouraging private sector and civil society to open employment to people with disabilities. We also provided scholarships to five (5) ladies.
This year, Outbox EDU is giving out scholarships to more women passionate about tech and can demonstrate financial need, to help them launch careers in the Software Engineering industry.
This has been made possible under Young Africa Works, Mastercard Foundation’s new strategy focusing on finding solutions and youth unemployment in partnership with the Innovation Village Kampala.
According to Richard Zulu, the Outbox team lead, the focus this year is on building a more inclusive and diverse Outbox EDU initiative with 50% female participation as well as more people with disabilities.
“We envision that Outbox EDU will this year courtesy of Young Africa Works, support over 1000 youth that have completed at least a secondary school education with skilling and job or apprenticeship placements,” he says.
Specifically, Outbox EDU will support People with disabilities (irrespective of academic qualification), young people who have completed only secondary school education and have no employment, those who have completed University but have no employment, and female-led small business owners. In addition to programming, Outbox EDU will also offer training in other digital literacy programs that will be announced soon.
March 2020 Intake
Outbox EDU is currently accepting applications for the fourth prep cohort. The class will run for weeks; from 2nd March to 3rd April. Apply here to join.
The EDU Prep is the first phase of a four-month journey that seeks to kickstart your career as a software developer. At the end of the five weeks of EDU prep, you will have the basics skills of how to build using web technologies that include Javascript. . Based on your performance, you will also be supported to enroll for Outbox EDU Core, a 15-week full-time program to further hone your skills. During that time, you will also be supported to develop a career plan, equipped with skills to enable you to be competitive when applying for work opportunities and exposed to potential work opportunities for employment or internships.
Apply here to join.
