Who: Mohammed Hamdoon, founder of Zoode
Theme: Quality Education, Economic productivity and upgrading tech capabilities SDG 4, SDG 8.2 and SDG 9.5
Did you know that approximately 40% of computer science graduates in Iraq faced unemployment despite the regional and global rising trend of shortage of tech specialists?
Mohammed Hamdoon faced this exact problem as he could not find a proper job in the tech sector for at least 2 years post-graduation. After being able to work in the industry he decided he wanted to help out other tech graduates who struggled to find a job in the tech field and started to develop Zoode.
Zoode is a platform that helps users to gain programming skills by concluding tailored tasks and challenges which measure and improve their dexterity and efficiency in coding. It also tracks their development and helps them acquire lacking skills, while giving visibility to what’s most required in the market. The platform also functions as a tech talent pool of developers, easily accessible to employers with specific needs and assignments. It speeds up their recruiting processes by relying on a platform that measures coding skills in an efficient and proven way.
The development of this platform contributes to driving sustainable development in Iraq by tailoring tech education and attempting to bridge the gap in the labor market (SDG 4) and it also actively contributes to SDG 8.2 and SDG 9.5 by upgrading the technological capabilities of the tech industry in Iraq and achieving higher levels of economic productivity.
Currently, Mohammed and his team are still in the process of finalising the platform and are planning to launch it by the end of October 2020. In spite of not being able to work through the online platform directly, Zoode has successfully taken several steps offline to connect tech professionals and -students to employers. One of their first success stories is Fatima Oday, a female tech student who, thanks to Zoode has had great kick-start into the tech labor market. The Zoode team considers this a great accomplishment, as it’s even more challenging for women to find jobs in the tech field.
We think they are doing a great job and encourage them to continue bridging the tech gap in Iraq!
