This conference wants to connect South Africa’s JAVA coders

If JAVA is your game, you might want to check this one out. Set to take place on 21 and 22 July in Johannesburg, The I Code Java 2016 Conference is a bid to train and connect Java developers to each other and open up new opportunities in the tech industry.

Now in its second year, the conference cites JAVA’s popularity as a coding language — close to 90% of Fortune 500 companies use it — as a major reason for its existence.

According to a press release sent to Ventureburn, the conference is a mix of practical applications and informative talks by local and international experts in the field, with headline local and international speakers.

The event is being organised by Evenir Pty Ltd, which hopes to provide a space for new and experienced developers to connect and open up the tech conversation in a country where coding is still an emerging profession and industry.

“There is a huge emphasis on training at our conferences, because the industry is still so fresh in South Africa”, says Theo Sauls, Founder of Evenir. “Many developers are self-taught and could benefit from networking with more experienced developers. Our conferences and workshops provide a space for this.”

According to Sauls, the conference organisers see their role as aiding in the wider South African developer context. It is imperative, he says, that the country start looking at IT, and more especially software development/ coding, as the job market of the future.

“Besides the fact that we have a serious IT skills shortage in South Africa, if you look at the Java Ecosystem, developed countries are looking abroad for developers to outsource work to. That work could be coming to South Africa.”

“It’s pointless getting all these experienced developers together if we are not developing our next wave of experienced developers,” says Sauls.

Tickets are available online with students able to attend for free.