The Bridge Academy, launched in Nairobi, Kenya in March 2021, offers young people with disabilities and a passion for IT the chance to train and get hands-on experience in the sector.
Young people with disabilities, especially young women, are among the most disadvantaged groups when it comes to securing a job in the formal sector and progressing in their careers. Research from the ILO shows that globally, young people with disabilities are up to five times more likely than their peers without disabilities to be outside the education system and not in employment or training.
In Kenya, the Bridge Academy is helping to address this by connecting its growing IT sector with a pool of young, talented jobseekers with disabilities. The training comprises of nine months of classroom learning, with a syllabus adapted from CISCO’s existing IT training to be more accessible for people with disabilities. After graduation, students enter a six-month internship at a top technology company where they gain real-world skills and experience. Along their journey, the students also receive mentoring support from professionals at partner organisations, such as CISCO UK, to give them support in their job search and early careers.
Since the first cohort graduated in Nairobi, Kenya in 2022, many students have transitioned into formal employment jobs at IT and telecommunications companies, including the largest mobile network provider in East Africa (Safaricom), think tanks and digital and technology start-ups.
This unique initiative is working to lower the digital gender divide and address the additional barriers that women with disabilities face in accessing skills-training and employment. It aims to achieve gender parity, with 58 of the graduates so far, being women.The Academy has also recently gone virtual – testing a new model of online delivery to reach more students, regardless of their location in Kenya, so they can obtain CISCO certified IT skills.
What are some Graduates up to?
Meet Sharon, Lydia and Timothy – three academy graduates who are thriving in their careers.
Sharon’s Story
Sharon is 28 years old and graduated from the IT Bridge Academy in March 2023. She is currently working as an intern for the Public Service Commission of Kenya and serves on the boards of three secondary schools.
"During the Academy, I learned valuable digital and configuration skills along with communication skills through mentorship, which I truly enjoyed. After graduating, I interned as an IT engineer at Safaricom, where I was recognized as one of the most outstanding interns. This led to my involvement with the African Girls Can Code Initiative and Siemens EmpowerHER programme. I also co-founded Youths with Disability Development Forum, a community-based organisation training young people with disabilities in digital skills and I am advocating for increased digital literacy. The Academy has changed my life, and I hope to give back to it one day."
Lydia’s Story
Lydia is 29 and works in the Executive office of the president of Kenya. She is also a youth ambassador for Sightsavers’ Equal World Campaign and, in the lead-up to the UN Summit for the Future held in September, is calling for more young people with disabilities to be included in global decision-making.
“I was in the first year of Bridge Academy. Then I got an internship at Safaricom, and from there a job with a company in Nairobi. Since the course, I have never come back and gone from strength to strength. I am now working with the government as a spokesperson. As well as the educational support, the course made a real difference because it gave a sense of belonging and built a sense of community which was a huge support. It was a safe environment. As a person with a disability, I am aware that there are people who need sign language and braille and different accessibility formats. I am now championing inclusive communication in government communication. I hope we will be able to establish a disability communications unit in the government to ensure people with disabilities in Kenya are well accommodated.”
Timothy’s Story
Timothy is 24 years old, and after graduating from the Academy, founded his own education technology company. He also champions disability rights through an organisation called Kenyan Women Power.
“The CISCO certification at the IT Bridge Academy gave me the skills, but it's the thirst for more knowledge that truly excites me. I discovered that I am passionate about Python and JavaScript – these are skills I wouldn't have without the amazing facilitators and trainers at the IT Bridge Academy, my metors throughout this journey. We have a company called Fuzu Academy, where we teach people coding, and web development. Also, we go to schools, to offer these services. We currently work with three schools on this and I can say it's working. My aspiration for the future is to develop this company, to get more partners and investors to boost the business and expand its reach to other localities – to be the best and the top sought-after education technology company. I look forward to being a person who everyone wants to look at. I want to be a role model, to mentor so many people and to show people that yes, it is possible.”
The IT Bridge Academy in Nairobi, Kenya, is run by Sightsavers in partnership with The National Industrial Training Authority (NITA), United Disabled Persons of Kenya (UDPK), Safaricom, and Three Talents, Accenture and CISCO.
It was previously funded by Futuremakers by Standard Chartered, GIZ’s Global Project on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities, UK Aid, and the Employment and Skills for Development in Africa (E4D) programme commissioned by German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad). To expand this successful model across Africa and South Asia, GIZ’s Global Project on the Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities is currently funding a newly launched IT Virtual Bridge Academy.
