Power to the people

Bettina and Christian Hirsig of Powercoders

01 Apr 2024

The refugee crisis of 2012 shocked Powercoders’ founders Christian and Bettina Hirsig to the core. How could they meaningfully impact the lives of displaced people?
The answer came in 2016 when they launched Powercoders – an information and communication technology (ICT) job integration program that helps displaced people find work. With Switzerland facing an alarming shortage of ICT staff, the program helps:
- refugees and migrants gain a foothold in Switzerland’s labor market, through training, mentoring and job integration
- fill talent gaps in the ICT industry
- reduce social welfare costs.
Powercoders’ vision is a world where every displaced talent is seen, valued and given the opportunity to thrive in the ICT industry. As a non-profit association offering self-funded programs, Powercoders gives participants hope and opportunity – free of charge for the beneficiaries.
The first Powercoders program launched in Bern at the start of 2017. It was an enormous success, attracting many applicants, volunteers, and ICT companies offering internships. Powercoders grew from there, setting up a permanent program in Switzerland.
Bettina and Christian embody visionary leadership and compassionate action. Their entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to social justice fueled the launch of Powercoders. The program’s success – where 93% of participants get an internship and 60% find a job – is a testament to their innovative thinking and relentless pursuit of impact.
In 2022, Christian launched a spinoff of Powercoders called Remotecoders. Remotecoders is migrating opportunities instead of human beings. The following year in 2023, they launched together with SDC in Egypt. With over 10 clients and 50 employees they have started to impactfully scale their organization.
Bettina received the Recognition Award at the Female Innovation Forum in 2019 and was honored with the FemBiz Leadership Award in 2020. Christian was named among "40 under 40" by Bilanz in 2012 and went on to establish Swisspreneur in 2016. He further distinguished himself as a TEDx Speaker in 2017 and was recognized as a Digital Shaper for both "Do-Gooders" in 2018 and "Mentors" in 2020.

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We live in a world where talent is universal, but opportunities are not. Powercoders connects the untapped potential of refugees and migrants with the unmet needs of the information and communication technology (ICT) industry – fostering diversity, innovation, and growth.

Christian and Bettina Hirsig

Powercoders works towards these UN Sustainable Development Goals: