Coding Programme for Youths off to a Good Start

Budding coder, Jevon Josephs, harbours the ambitious aspiration of becoming the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jamaica’s next successful Software Development Company.

At just 22 years, Jevon has taken a surefooted path to achieving his goal, having joined the second cohort of 50 new coders now being trained under a pilot programme being offered through the recently launched Amber /HEART Coding Academy, the first of its kind in Jamaica.

Housed at the Stony Hill HEART Academy in St. Andrew, the establishment of the new coding academy was facilitated through a partnership among software company, Amber Group, the HEART Trust/NSTA, the Housing Opportunity Production and Employment (HOPE) Programme and the Art of Living Foundation.

The passionate young man tells JIS News that he has always had a love for coding and sees it as a key solution to one of the challenges the country faces.

“There’s something here in Jamaica that needs fixing, which is a functioning sex offender database, that is accessible by the public,” he says.

Jevon, as other like-minded young persons, have bought into Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness’ vision of Jamaica becoming a digital society where Jamaicans become technology producers rather than mere consumers. Mr. Holness is of the firm belief that Jamaica can become a technology and innovation hub.

The Prime Minister launched the Coding Academy in January 2021, with a five year goal of training 20,000 Jamaicans in software development to become software producers.

Jevon’s batch mate, 20 year old Roshane Johnson, was already tuned to the prospect of the almost US$500 billion software development industry, and was teaching himself how to code. He said though discouraged at times, “because I was the only one in my social circle who wanted to code,” he pressed on.

Roshane tells JIS News that through participation in the intensive year-long residency programme, he hopes to achieve the required knowledge and skills “that can propel me towards my long standing goal of becoming a Software/Web Developer recognised internationally”.

Also sure of his career path, is 29 year old Richard Wilson, who is among the first batch of 50 coders in the programme, now participating in its internship phase which entails working with seasoned developers on software solutions.

“I decided to participate in the programme because I had already decided to pursue a career in coding and was teaching myself to build software applications…I felt that I could benefit from a structured coding programme and the guarantee of a job at the end of the programme made it the perfect choice,” he says.

Upon successful completion of the programme, all graduates will be employed within the Amber Group as developers.

Ultimately, Richard shares, he hopes to develop the skills he needs to implement software solutions that will provide jobs and benefits to Jamaicans, regardless of their physical and geographic limitations.

“Software provides us with the ability to remove those limitations, making education and employment more accessible to Jamaican citizens. I want to make more Jamaicans aware of these opportunities and drive their desire to capitalise on these opportunities as well,” he asserts.

The Amber Group is involved in the development of the curriculum and delivery of training. The company is ensuring that the graduates obtain the skills that employers require.

Founder and CEO of the Amber Group, Dushyant Savadia, says he is confident that Jamaica’s youth can be molded into the world’s leading software developers.

“What we have unlimited is talent; what we have unlimited is the youth; what we have unlimited is the energy, the passion in the youth of Jamaica which I have not seen anywhere else in the world (and) I have been to 76 countries in my life,” he says.

Mr. Savadia says he is pleased with the level of commitment and the learning aptitude of the first batch of students.

“Imagine learning a brand new language that computers understand – to absorb all of that information in six months from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. every single day and then to build applications yourself, it is a commendable achievement,” he says.

The Amber Group CEO shares that he plans to enrol a third cohort of coders by September.

“We are discussing with HEART and HOPE to see how we can make it non-residential… So in the next three months, we are .. aiming to start the first cohort of 1,000 students learning full time but off campus and that is how we will start multiplying the numbers and reach our goal in the next five years,” he notes.

Also integral to the development of the coding programme is Board Member, HEART NSTA/Trust and National Coordinator of the HOPE Programme, Colonel Rickman. He says that when Prime Minister Holness  contacted him to share his vision for software development as a new industry for Jamaica, “I jumped onboard with it, a hundred per cent.

“This is something I truly believe in. It is another gateway of opportunities for young persons to find an avenue (for gainful employment),” he emphasises.

Col. Rickman recalls that while it was not ideal to start the programme in the midst of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a solution was devised to offer the programme in-house where the students could be managed and their exposure to the virus lessened by them not having to seek transportation to get to the classroom.

Helping to propel the programme further in a major way, is the NCB Foundation’s donation of $18 million to support the second cohort of coders as well as the Ministry of Education, Youth and Information’s Coding in Schools Pilot Programme which is being piloted in 20 schools, targeting 2,000 students.

The funds were electronically handed over on Thursday (July 22) during a ceremony at the Amber/HEART Academy.

CEO, NCB Foundation, Nadeen Matthews Blair, says the entity is focused on empowering Jamaicans through digital education “because we … bought into the Prime Minister’s vision of becoming more than consumers of technology”, she says.

She argues that the country’s population size and Gross Domestic Product (GDP), should not be limiting factors for becoming a global digital powerhouse, “and the NCB Foundation intends to play a major role in making this Jamaica’s reality”.

Minister of Education, Youth and Information, Hon. Fayval Williams,  says she welcomes the public-private partnership in place and especially thanks the NCB Foundation for coming onboard and supporting the programme “in such a big way” with its generous donation.

“The Ministry of Education, Youth and Information welcomes this support for the second cohort of coders in a continuing collaboration between the HEART/NSTA Trust and the Amber Group,” she says.

She notes that the expansion of the pilot programme is a very important development given the increasing demand for employees with the training to work with today’s technology.

Director, Strategic Partnerships, Research and Innovation, HEART/NSTA Trust, Kay-Marie Forbes-Robotham, says she is pleased with the success of the coding programme despite it being executed during “the most challenging times of our lives”.