How do you prepare an exploding population of youth in Africa with the digital skills needed to thrive? One program, SAP Africa Code Week , launched by SAP in 2015 , courageously set out to partner with Governments and Ministries across Africa 🌍 to integrate coding into their national curriculum and improve ICT skills 💻 for youth. SAP engaged us to evaluate their impact and were courageous to allow a third party to assess their program. Our evaluation of the 14.6m participants estimated the total social value of up to $1 billion (yes with a "b") assuming 50% of participants achieved the mid level learning scenario (.125 net standard deviation learning gain on ICT skills) that lead to increased income over a participants lifetime (see Charles Howard's research at https://lnkd.in/ez9BAaGU). This kind of social value was possible due to the huge scale the program achieved, which is cause for celebration in and of itself. But we also found that the depth of impact was certainly not as significant as its scale at only $131 per participant on average (as one would expect from a one week coding class) and many data points were missing which the CGM team had to build in credible, conservative assumptions for. We also shared several insights and recommendations for how ACW and its partners could improve moving forward: 1) Enhance data collection 📋 Core program data collection can be enhanced to include key demographic parameters such as student age, teacher gender and repeat participation in coding bootcamps (for students) and training programs (for teachers). 2) Learning outcomes can and should be measured 📐 Meaningful assessment of learning outcomes should be captured on a statistical sample of students to enable robust impact reporting and to create enhanced transparency and accountability around program effectiveness in each location. 3) Go deeper with a longitudinal study 🔬 SAP could conduct a longitudinal study to understand longer-term impacts of its programs, such as increased retention and completion in secondary and tertiary education (especially for girls) and impact on direct employment or wage outcomes compared to a control group. Read the full report here: https://lnkd.in/egCrS9mx The takeaway for other programs is to have a big vision, be courageous in tackling global issues as SAP has but to also ensure the right data is collected from the beginning to adjust the program as needed and maximize the value to all the participants as well as more effectively allocate capital based on results. 👏 We again applaud the work of SAP with SAP Africa Code Week and their willingness to have it externally evaluated as well as their commitment to leveraging the learnings for the impact of future programs. Alexandra van der Ploeg Maximilian Hermann Claire Gillissen-Duval #education #impactverification #SDGs #impactmarketplace
At SAP, we're committed to making a real difference through our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. This is why measuring the tangible results of these programs is essential to ensure we're achieving our goals. To conduct a rigorous evaluation of our flagship program, SAP Africa Code Week (ACW), we partnered with Common Good Marketplace (CGM), a leader in impact measurement and management. Between its inception in 2015 - 2022, ACW impacted over 14.6 million young people across 48 African countries. This gender-sensitive program equips secondary students with the digital skills they need to thrive in the future workforce. Notably, 46% of participants were girls, and the program has influenced the integration of coding and computational thinking into the national curriculum of seven countries. This aligns perfectly with United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), and 17 (Partnerships for the Goals). By empowering youth with the skills and knowledge to participate in the digital economy, the report revealed that #ACW was estimated to have catalyzed up to $1 billion in social value for participants through potential future income increases. While we were proud of the results overall, CGM also identified areas for improvement. Our core program data collection can be enhanced to capture demographics like student age and teacher gender. Additionally, statistically robust assessments of learning outcomes would strengthen our impact reporting and transparency. It also highlighted the importance of conducting a longitudinal study looking at factors like secondary and tertiary education completion rates, particularly for girls, and exploring direct employment and wage outcomes compared to a control group. The learnings from this evaluation will ensure our future CSR initiatives have an even greater positive influence. Our focus has shifted towards empowering youth with skills for employability, ensuring a clear learning-to-earning pathway. #SAP has passed the baton to UNESCO to drive this initiative forward. Having proudly steered ACW for nine years, we are confident that it will continue to create impact and change the lives of young people and educators in Africa. #SAP #AfricaCodeWeek #CSR #DigitalSkills #ImpactMeasurement