In collaboration with the United States Embassy, Belo Horizonte City Hall has launched the "Coding Dreams - Vilas and Favelas 2023" initiative. This program aims to address two pressing needs within the municipality. The first objective is to foster greater digital inclusion, closely tied to vocational training, income generation, and the socioeconomic inclusion of economically disadvantaged community members. The second aim aligns with the city's economic development goals and strategies, specifically to satisfy the increasing demand in the job market for professionals skilled in information and communication technology while positioning the city as an IT Hub for new businesses.
To this end, the Municipal Informatics and Information Company (PRODABEL) offers residents of vilas and favelas in Belo Horizonte the opportunity to enrol in a free three-month course. The curriculum is centred on web project development and maintenance, programming languages, database management, and best practices in information security. The program is also sensitive to employability of this population offering specific soft-skills content in the course curriculum.
Sustainable Development Goals
The Coding Dreams - Vilas and Favelas 2023 program, funded by the United States Government, is a special edition of the standard city’s Coding Dreams program. This partnership materialized through the collaborative efforts of the International Relations Office and the Belo Horizonte + Internacional initiative, of the Municipal Secretariat for Economic Development through its Office of International Relations, together with the United States Embassy.
In alignment with Belo Horizonte City Hall's commitment to fostering a climate conducive to the city's economic advancement, increased digital inclusion, income generation, and social inclusivity, the course aims to qualify residents from economically vulnerable areas. Through targeted training and certification, the program prepares these individuals for careers in the information and communication technology sector, thereby meeting a growing local market demand.
Main targets are:
- Promote digital inclusion;
- Ensure quality education;
- Contribute to the economic and social development of the municipality;
- Greater professional qualification of an economically vulnerable portion of the population;
- Elevate the professional skills set of economically disadvantaged community members.
Since its inception in 2019, Coding Dreams has offered training courses in information technology. The 2023 edition, however, benefits from enhanced funding from the United States Government, enabling the provision of 80 free placements in the first semester and targeted residents of vilas and favelas. Delivered by the Municipal Technology and Information Company (PRODABEL), the courses focus on equipping participants with skills in web project development, programming languages, database management, and information security measures. In the latter half of 2023, an additional 40 placements will become available, with the program aiming to reach a total enrolment of 160 by mid-2024.
The duration of each course cycle is approximately three months, with in-person classes conducted at PRODABEL's Information Technology Qualification Center. Eligibility is limited to residents from the 218 vilas and favelas in Belo Horizonte who are above the age of 16 and possess very basic web programming knowledge. All costs related to transportation and meals are fully covered by the American Embassy and Consulates in Brazil, in collaboration with the City of Belo Horizonte. Following pre-registration, interested candidates must take a skills assessment test, and only upon passing this test will they be deemed eligible to commence the course.
The program receives financial support from the United States Government, along with partial funding for administrative tasks from the team at Belo Horizonte City Hall.
Since its beginning in 2019, the standard issue of Coding Dreams has trained over 1,000 individuals through both classroom and online formats, thereby creating avenues for the broader population of the city to gain qualified entry into the job market. Additionally, the program enables the municipality to meet the rising market demand for skilled professionals in technology and information sectors, fostering socioeconomic growth, generating income, and alleviating inequality.
The special "Vilas and Favelas" edition aims to certify 160 participants, exclusively targeting residents of the 218 vilas and favelas in Belo Horizonte.
The program is also introducing a pilot module on soft skills within the existing coding curriculum. This initiative aims to enhance the employability of graduates and amplify the impact of their professional integration into the workforce.
The collaboration with the United States Embassy and Consulates in Brazil also adds value to this special edition, spotlighting the course and its graduates, fostering further accessibility to the global IT sector.
Given the expansive scope of the program, a range of challenges in implementation and execution naturally arise, among them: Ensuring robust community engagement—making certain that the offerings actually reach and engage the intended recipients and that these community members can easily register and actively participate in this and other municipal programs; Maintaining high retention and low dropout rates; Addressing transportation and accessibility issues—ensuring that students can feasibly commute to the location where the classes are held; Overcoming a lack of home-based infrastructure—given the economic vulnerabilities of the target population, not all students may have the requisite facilities at home to complete individual tasks and extracurricular activities; and finally, grappling with attendance and performance challenges.
To mitigate these issues, the program provides social tickets that facilitate access to public transport and utilizes Reference Centers and fully outfitted telecenters located across all 9 regions of Belo Horizonte. After completing free registration, students can carry out course-related activities in these centers. The program also employs a comprehensive attendance monitoring system, employs a sensitive and nuanced approach to performance assessment designed to help students incrementally gauge their learning progress, and incorporates a teaching methodology that emphasizes not just technical skills but also vital soft skills. This balanced approach recognizes that technical expertise alone is insufficient for shaping well-rounded professionals.
Once the instructional methodology for the information and communication technology qualification is established, it’s crucial to secure the minimum required infrastructure for delivering the course, as well as to accurately pinpoint the target audience. With these elements in place, the program becomes replicable in various settings.
The experience gained from implementing Coding Dreams has offered invaluable insights, including effective positive reinforcement strategies to promote participant retention across various public sector programs. It has also shed light on communication tactics that democratize and expand access to public policies and other initiatives spearheaded by City Hall. Furthermore, the program has identified methods for addressing labour market demands and reducing social inequality.
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