Bloomberg & Re:Coded collaborate to support the advancement of youth in the Middle East

Bloomberg & Re:Coded collaborate to support the advancement of youth in the Middle East

Over 240 young people across the Middle East already stand a better chance of building a sustainable career in the digital economy thanks to a recent partnership between Bloomberg and Re:Coded, a US non-profit working to bridge the region’s digital divide.

Since July 2020, Bloomberg employees have been working closely with Re:Coded students, providing technical training and career mentorship with the ultimate goal of working towards a more inclusive global economy.

“The partnership could not have come at a more critical moment for our fellows, many of whom are looking for purposeful jobs that enable them to join the digital economy,” said Alexandra Clare, one of Re:Coded’s Co-Founders.

With the pandemic posing challenges for economies across the globe, and an estimated 5.5 million new workers in the Middle East looking to enter the job market in 2021 , the technology sector is one of the few industries that continues to record growth. The Middle East is also home to a large refugee population, typically comprising ambitious, resourceful individuals who are keen to develop skills and grow professionally.

However, in order to take advantage of the burgeoning tech sector, young people need the right skills and competencies to match employer demand. This is where Re:Coded’s coding and design bootcamps - which are developed by professionals and provide the technological and soft skills required for high value employment - can be crucial.

The partnership between Re:Coded and Bloomberg is helping to bridge the digital inequality gap by linking technical experts, industry experts and HR professionals to ambitious students. Bloomberg employees have provided CV writing and interview support and led a series of webinars focusing on subjects critical for aspiring technologists, including ideation, test driven development, and technical interviews. Women, typically under-represented in the technology space, make-up over half of the mentees.

Ihab Mashhadani, a Syrian refugee living in Istanbul and recent graduate from Re:Coded’s Web Development Bootcamp said: “I don’t consider myself an excellent interviewee at all, as I’ve had so little so far in my life. But, the interview went way, way better than I expected! [My mentor] gave me very clear and helpful feedback on how to improve some of the answers even more. I can’t explain how happy I am and I feel that my confidence has skyrocketed.” Targeted sessions have been complemented through a series of public-facing conversations with industry experts from the technology and digital space.

By turning the ambition of under-represented groups across the Middle East towards digital skills, and by harnessing the experience and expertise of industry leaders, Re:Coded and Bloomberg are supporting young people to challenge expectations and become tomorrow’s leaders.

“For those who live in areas of political instability, the past year has been particularly difficult. Access to education has been further restricted and women and young people in particular have missed out on opportunities to develop the skills needed to pursue a career in the digital economy. We're delighted to harness the skills of Bloomberg's engineers and other employees to equip a diverse group of young people from across the Middle East with the knowledge they need to build sustainable careers,” noted Jemma Read, Bloomberg’s Global Head of Corporate Philanthropy.

This sentiment was also echoed by Marcello Bonatto, Re:Coded’s COO who said,

The digital revolution has the potential to be a force for good and drive economies forward, but we need to address the skills gap by providing youth regardless of socio-economic status, nationality or gender with the right education and real-life coding experience to join the digital industry so we don’t risk losing a generation.

About Re:Coded

Re:Coded is a non-profit organization educating youth in untapped communities and helping them kickstart careers in technology. To date, Re:Coded has trained over 400 youth in Iraq, Turkey, Yemen and Lebanon through intensive and career-driven coding and design bootcamps.

About Bloomberg

Bloomberg, the global business and financial information and news leader, gives influential decision makers a critical edge by connecting them to a dynamic network of information, people and ideas. The company’s strength – delivering data, news and analytics through innovative technology, quickly and accurately – is at the core of the Bloomberg Terminal. Bloomberg’s enterprise solutions build on the company’s core strength: leveraging technology to allow customers to access, integrate, distribute and manage data and information across organizations more efficiently and effectively.

For further information

Media & Press Inquiries: Lars Højholt, Communications Manager at Re:Coded: lars@re-coded.com

Noora Abul, Bloomberg Corporate Communications, Middle East and Africa: nabul@bloomberg.net