Betting firm Betafriq plans to set up over 100 coding centres across the country to enable access to coding skills for employment opportunities.This was revealed by the firm’s General Manager Craig Oyugi during the rebranding ceremony in Nairobi.
“As part of Corporate Social Responsibility, we shall be setting up at least 2 coding centres in all the 47 counties which will be fully equipped with the state-of-the-art coding equipment. In today’s era technology is changing and among the areas that will create future jobs for our youth is coding skills. This is why we want our youth also to acquire these coding skills to help them be self-employed by creating software and also solving ICT-related problems, ” says Oyugi.The International Labour Organization estimates that 73.4 million people aged 15-24 do not have a job (43% of global youth), and three times as many young people are underemployed.At the same time, 40% of employers report skills shortages for entry-level vacancies.According to McKinsey (Social Initiative 2015). Hence, skill gaps have become an issue for both employers and the unemployed. This trend is exacerbated by technological advancements which are rapidly replacing manual jobs, leaving millions of young people unprepared to participate in the 21st-century knowledge economy. Three aspects of the skills gap problem need to be addressed to find a sustainable solution: urgency, proficiency in technology, and job market readiness.ILO suggests that to address this challenge, a new model of intensive technology training emerged; coding boot camps.These boot camps are effective skills accelerators that teach specific technical skills (from coding to digital marketing) through intense fast-track courses with a strong career focus.At the same time, the betting firm did reveal that they are in negotiation with various local football clubs for sponsorship among them Gor Mahia.” Yes we are in talks with Gor Mahia and infant we have drafted a pre-contract deal which will be unveiled in the coming days. We are looking at sponsoring other sports like boxing and rugby which are vital in nurturing the skills of our youth,” Oyugi observed.
