Kodluyoruz: Coding the future

How a Turkish company is bridging the social-economic divide by equipping disadvantaged youths with the skills to succeed in the software industry.

Kodluyoruz is a non-governmental organisation established in 2016 which vision is to make Türkiye a worldwide talent hub in the technology sector, empowering the next generation of young professionals to thrive in the Industry 4.0 era and to dream of a better future, with a particular focus on empowering women in the sector.

They developed a curriculum focused on both technical and social skills, and started running bootcamps lasting 2 to 6 months, as an extra-curricular activity, where students learn coding languages, AI, social skills, teamwork, and how to give constructive feedback. After the initial bootcamp, students then move into the ‘development phase’ and work on real-world projects to apply what they’ve learned.

They have also recently developed and introduced new content on how to use AI for coaching and interview preparation.

How Kodluyoruz’s programme is bridging the social-economic divide

Youth unemployment in Türkiye is high at around 16%, meaning roughly 1 in 6 young people are out of work, and many are also not in school or training either. But youth unemployment isn’t just a problem in Türkiye; it’s common in the UK and other European countries too.

We said this is a potential, because with technology we can upskill these young people, we can teach them coding from scratch and help them start careers in tech

Berat Kjamili, President of Kodluyoruz (We Code)

He went on to explain that the Kodluyoruz model is working and, to date they have trained over 300,000 people in Türkiye in coding and AI, and, more importantly, more than 5,000 have found jobs through the programme.

Noticing how few women are in tech, only about 20% globally, Berat stressed how Kodluyoruz made it a priority to support young women by giving them role models and showing they can succeed in this field too and ensure that at least 50% of participants in their programmes are women, even in the most competitive courses.

We call this approach ‘diverse learning’, bringing together equal numbers of young women and men to learn side by side. It helps build teamwork and mutual respect, preparing them to work well together in real-world jobs. We’ve seen it boost confidence and collaboration for everyone involved

Berat Kjamili, President of Kodluyoruz (We Code)

Rising to the challenge of the future

Berat expressed that many students are worried about the future of jobs, especially with the rise of AI, with some even asking if there’s any point learning to code if AI might replace them in 10 years.

To do this, Kodluyoruz are focusing on building solid foundational skills, but looking ahead, Berat believes the conversation needs to shift toward ethical, responsible, and social AI, technology that supports mental health, boosts wellbeing, and helps people find meaningful work.

At Kodluyoruz, our mission is to help train the next generation of coding and social AI experts—people who use technology not just for innovation, but for real human impact

Berat Kjamili, President of Kodluyoruz (We Code)

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