WeThinkCode, a new peer-to-peer tech institution dedicated to eliminating the IT skills gap, recently launched in South Africa.

The initiative is backed by a three-year founding sponsorship from First National Bank, BBD, and Derivco.

WeThinkCode identifies and trains people to become world-class programmers in a peer-to-peer problem solving and learning environment.

In partnership with Ecole 42 in France, WeThinkCode will open its first campus in Johannesburg in January 2016.

The programme is free, and open to all talented candidates aged 17 to 35 – regardless of previous education, socio-economic background, or financial means.

To join the programme, students have to pass a basic assessment. 16,367 students took the BornToCode test, of which 314 passed.

WeThinkCode bootcamp

WeThinkCode founder Arlene Mulder said 120 candidates will start the bootcamp on 25 January.

Students who attend the bootcamp will have to come to the campus to solve problems every day for 4 weeks.

In the bootcamp there are no teachers and no classes – students will learn from their peers and work together to solve progressively more difficult programming challenges.

“You will get your own computer – an Apple iMac – access to the Internet, and certain guidelines in the form of videos and instructions. You will work mainly in the language C,” said Mulder.

There will be three selection bootcamps – held in January, February, and March – after which the top 120 applicants will be selected to start as WeThinkCode students in May 2016.

These students will study full-time for a period of 2 years, which will include 8 months of internships at one of WeThinkCode’s corporate sponsors.

The corporate sponsors include FNB, BBD, Derivco, RMB, Allan Gray, UCS, Dimension Data, Platform45, IQ Business, L’Oreal, Times Media Group, QLink, Student Village, Nando’s, Cerebra, iPlatform, Moneyweb, Parcel Ninja, Synaq, Amrod, and Tariffic.

WeThinkCode campus taking shape

The WeThinkCode campus in Johannesburg is getting ready for its first intake in January 2016. The photos below show the progress made over the last few months.

Prospective students

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