BCTA MEMBERSHIP STATUS
Alumni

SECTOR
Information Communication & Technology (ICT)

HEADQUARTERS
Moldova

REGION OF INITIATIVE
Eastern Europe & Central Asia

SDG CONTRIBUTION

RELATED NEWS

The Impact Goal
Moldovan educational technology company Codifun joined Business Call to Action with a commitment to broaden its delivery of affordable information technology (IT) courses by 2022 and enable 125,000 low-income people in Romania, Moldova and Ukraine to find well-paying jobs.

The Market Gap
Nearly 30 percent of Moldovan youth aged 15 to 29 are classified as Not in Employment, Education or Training (NEET). A high rate of such youth has been linked to long-term social consequences and marginalization that can follow young people throughout their lives. According to a 2017 report, low youth education and underemployment can also lead to economic losses greater than 2 percent of the GDP.

Neighbouring countries Romania and Ukraine report similarly high NEET rates. These pessimistic statistics are compounded by a significant gender gap. In Romania, nearly 1 in 4 women is classified as NEET, compared with 1 out of every 25 men. For Moldovan women aged 25 to 29, the rate is more than one in two.

The Business Solution
Codifun delivers IT courses that give young people and women the skills to secure well-paying employment in the modern technology sector. The company’s plan includes two service models:

• Its business-to-consumer model allows young people to pay approximately US $10 per month to access an online subscription where they can learn skills such as 3D printing, web development, software design and animation. The Codifun platform is fun – many of the courses take a gamification approach to learning – but it applies a rigorous standard to its teaching, from initial instruction through knowledge application. When courses end, students can receive additional support from an artificial intelligence-based virtual mentor.

• Its business-to-business model allows organizations to pay for prospective students to complete courses, then select the best candidates for employment. If a student is selected, the employer can trust that they have been thoroughly trained through Codifun. Because of the up-front training, even applicants who are not successful benefit from this model.

The company takes care to model its values internally. By the end of 2022, Codifun will hire 100 college graduates who might otherwise have needed to leave the country for a stable income. It will also collaborate with 50 low-income teachers and professors to develop courses for the platform. The authors will split the income equally with Codifun, providing them with a revenue stream that could double their regular income and pull them out of poverty.