KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA  - 22 April 2024 - Octa will finance a coding bootcamp for students of Ideas Academy, an inclusive secondary school located in Kuala Lumpur that focuses on providing young people from diverse backgrounds with a well-rounded academic and extra-curricular education. Three blocks of educational sessions will take place between June and November on campus and online for students aged 16 and above.

Fully funded by Octa, sponsored student slots will be allocated to refugees supported by UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency). To promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, Octa will grant at least 50% of the slots within the programme to female students.

The bootcamp will give foundational coding skills to underprivileged young men and women with little to no coding background. Ideas Academy plans to arrange traineeships for interested students in local SME tech companies as a follow-up to this series of learning sessions. The bootcamp organisers want to help as many students as possible find internships with tech companies leading to full-time jobs.

With this initiative, Octa aims to provide Malaysian youths with access to computer and coding literacy as a cornerstone of their future successful careers. 'The Octa and Ideas Academy collaboration supports disadvantaged young people in acquiring crucial knowledge and skills that can give them a much-needed kick-start in their careers', said Ms. Jain, Head of Studies of Ideas Academy.

This Octa and Ideas Academy joint project is another example of their impactful collaboration. In 2023, Octa supported Ideas Academy in launching a novel 'financial literacy' workshop format as a part of the Ramadan charity project and covered the IGCSE exam costs for IA students.

To celebrate the holy month of Ramadan in 2024, Octa will also fund education-focused charity projects in other regions. In Nigeria, the charity initiative will provide 300 children with educational supplies and train 25 youths in tech skills. In Indonesia, Octa will finance a school renovation project.

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