In an interview with Berat Kjamili, President of Kodluyoruz (We Code), we spoke about Kodluyoruz’s mission to bridge the social-economic divide in Türkiye by equipping disadvantaged youths with the skills and opportunities to succeed in the software industry.
About Kodluyoruz (We Code)
Berat explained that Kodluyoruz is one of the first social enterprises in Türkiye, created to help address unemployment by teaching skills that schools often overlook. 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.
“Kodluyoruz is a social enterprise with a mission to provide high-quality, international-level workshops in coding, AI, and soft skills, and help turn Türkiye into a global technology hub through our skilled graduates, which, in turn makes Europe a technology hub.”
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.
Berat highlighted how Kodluyoruz chose to see this not just as a problem, but as a chance to help:
“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.”
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.”
Kodluyoruz don’t have any specific data on any significant differences between how men and women work, however, Berat emphasised how Kodluyoruz believe it’s important to create spaces where everyone interacts and learns together. And while learning itself is the same for everyone, people tend to form groups based on similarities, so Kodluyoruz design diverse groups where participants can collaborate, no matter their background.
Mentoring is something that really drives Kodluyoruz
Berat explained that getting a job isn’t just about the technical skills you have, and that even the best coders need to work well with others, meaning they need to know how to collaborate and give constructive feedback.
In the Kodluyoruz Community: “Participants don’t just take tech courses, they also learn soft skills like team work and interview preparation. On top of that, they receive mentorship from their peers and experienced professionals, which helps them grow not just technically, but personally and professionally too as they get to discuss their career goals, the challenges they’re facing, and we noticed they even start mentoring others.”
All of Kodluyoruz’s programmes are online, and Berat explained how they realised that online learning is not the same as attending an on-site course. It needs more than just lectures and he explained how they needed to create ways for students to actually connect.
“We have ‘study with me’ sessions, coffee hours, and game nights which gives them a different experience than typical online courses.”
What impact does the programme have on students’ communities and broader society?
Berat believes there are two impacts the programme:
Confidence
“One of the biggest changes we’ve seen through our programmes is a boost in confidence, especially among female participants. Their belief that they could succeed in tech jobs increased by over 20%.”
Employability
“Another impact we saw was that as students’ confidence grew, their employability also increased, and this was true for all participants.”
As an example, Berat explained among young people in Türkiye who were neither in employment, education, or training (NEET youth), particularly NEET women, they saw an employment rate of 30% after completing the programme, which is significant, given how difficult it is for this group to re-enter the workforce. For participants who already had some basic coding knowledge, the employment rate jumped to 70%.
“We realised that when you give them top international education together with comprehensive mentorship, project development, ideathons and a community, they can really thrive.”
Berat went on to explain that Kodluyoruz don’t just focus on full-time jobs, they also support their graduates in exploring other career paths like freelancing, becoming a digital nomad, launching their own project, or even becoming social entrepreneurs. The goal is to give them real, flexible options to build a sustainable livelihood. As a result, some graduates have gone on to start social enterprises, gaming startups and tech companies.
Diversity and Inclusion
“Be part of, and make people be involved in.”
Berat highlighted that one of Kodluyoruz’s core values in inclusion, and with this mindset, they welcome people from all backgrounds, from university students starting from their first year, to others who haven’t attended university at all. Regardless of their education level, they come to Kodluyoruz to learn coding, and many go on to find jobs in tech.
He went on to explain how this inclusive approach has allowed Kodluyoruz to reach almost every city in Türkiye, and participants include NEET youth, NEET women, refugees, and people of all genders and backgrounds.
“What’s powerful is that we bring together top students and those with fewer opportunities, and they learn side by side, supporting and mentoring each other.”
He emphasised that seeing that kind of diverse and collaborative learning environment, where everyone has a chance to grow, is one of the most rewarding parts of Kodluyoruz’s journey.
“After the devastating 2023 earthquake in Türkiye, which claimed nearly 100,000 lives, many people’s education was severely disrupted; schools were destroyed, and students couldn’t continue learning. On top of the pandemic, they faced even more challenges than others. We asked ourselves: “What can we do?” We couldn’t provide shelter or food, but we could provide education. So, we focused on helping these students catch up and compete with their peers. We trained over 20,000 people in the earthquake region. We launched coding and AI bootcamps, developed AI-based interview simulations and career prep programmes, and took them to 12 cities across the area. Today, we’re continuing to run bootcamps specifically in southern Türkiye, where the impact was greatest. These programmes have made a real difference for people in some of the most disadvantaged communities.”
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.
However, he stressed that Kodluyoruz sees this as a challenge, and an opportunity. “Just like the internet empowered us in the past, we believe we can face AI by becoming experts ourselves. Instead of just being passive consumers of technology, we encourage people to be creators. We say we are coding the future!”
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.”
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