Software engineer Brenton Strine is empowering refugees to chart a new course with Refcode, founded in 2017 to assist displaced people who needed to leave everything behind. Thanks to its partners and a robust volunteer network, the company offers free programs to train refugees in lucrative industries such as artificial intelligence and software development.
"Companies are almost desperate to hire talented software engineers. So there's this huge need there. And then, on the other hand, there's this huge need of new Americans starting over from nothing," Strine told Marketplace. However, Refcode's 10-week bootcamp is making it easier for participants to launch their professional careers in a new country.
"If you think about a ladder that you climb to get to your first job, a lot of the rungs on that ladder are already in place, but what's missing is that bottom rung for people who haven't gotten a start yet, don't know anything about code," Strine explained to Marketplace.
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According to the Office of Homeland Security, the United States granted entry to more than 60,000 refugees in 2023. All in all, as UNHCR (USA for The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees) notes, conflict, persecution, and other human rights violations displaced more than 120 million people worldwide.
In October, Zurich Insurance Group also warned that changing global temperatures could create 1.2 billion climate refugees by 2050, as rising global temperatures have caused events such as floods, wildfires, and droughts to grow more intense and frequent. Moreover, weather-linked devastation of food crops, infrastructure, and livelihoods can exacerbate existing tensions.
With pollution from dirty fuels overwhelmingly driving planetary warming, experts agree that transitioning to cleaner energy sources is crucial. (Adopting carbon-free or low-carbon energy is also one way major companies, like Microsoft, are working to reduce the negative impact of power-hungry AI data centers while continuing to serve as an economic boon.)
In the coming years, Strine hopes to expand Refcode, now funded by DeKalb County in the Atlanta metro area, and create more opportunities for people acclimating to life in the U.S.
"Oftentimes, [refugees] have distinguished backgrounds and careers that were interrupted for one reason or another. … And they're having to start over because legal degrees and engineering certifications and bar exams don't really translate across international borders always, especially if you are fleeing for your life and you don't have time to go through your filing cabinet on your way out … I felt the pain of that," Strine told The Digital Footprint.
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