Proekspert becomes tech-school partner
Proekspert will take a key partnership role in the kood/Jõhvi school created for any person over the age of 18 seeking opportunities in the IT sector.
Proekspert announced in October that it will take a key partnership role in the kood/Jõhvi* school, Estonia’s international coding school created for any person over the age of 18 seeking opportunities in the IT sector. (*”kood” is Estonian for “code,” and Jõhvi is the city in eastern Estonia where the school is located.)
The school is open to anyone who wants to enter the world of tech or further develop their existing skill set. The school creates full-stack developers with an extra six months of specialization in a given field. This is done through practical and project-based assignments where students solve real problems and learn more than just how to write code.
kood/Jõhvi is a bold initiative undertaken by founders from Estonia’s top IT companies to address the chronic labor shortage in Estonia’s IT sector. In a sense, Estonia has been a victim of its own success, boasting hundreds of successful tech startups, in addition to its world famous unicorns. Rather than look to government to solve the problem, the nation’s IT sector has partnered with the public sector to address the issue. The school is free to qualifying students and no tuition is charged.
As a key partner in the program, Proekspert will collaborate with the school to build the embedded engineering specialization module for kood/Jõhvi. Once a student has learned the basics of coding, they will have the opportunity to specialize by choosing from a number of module options. “Since Proekspert’s recognized strength is making things smart (the internet of things), it’s only natural that we’d build the embedded engineering module,” said Tiina Sakkos, Proekspert’s Chief Culture and HR Officer. “We’re also discussing the possibility of creating a module in service design since that’s another area where we excel.” Proekspert also plans to contribute by delivering lectures and organizing hackathons. “As with all our partners, we hope to see a long future and finding the best possible ways of changing the future of education in Estonia. Proekspert is a great help in our mission to further develop A-tier developers in Estonia.” Karin Künnapas, kood/Jõhvi’s Head of School.
Through collaborative project-based learning, students will be able to use the school’s two-year program to future proof their existing careers, or even begin a new career as a software engineer. On September 13 of this year, the school’s first class of 215 began their studies. The school operates on a cloud-based learning platform, where each student moves at their own pace, solving the tasks set by the system, linking theory to practice.
The school is supported by the State Shared Service Center and the Ministry of Finance. The school is also supported by dozens of private individuals, companies and organizations. In addition to Proekspert, supporters include organizations such as Bolt, Wise, SEB, LHV, Superangel, Astrec Data, Pipedrive, Confido, Viru Keemia Grupp, Microsoft, Admirals, Adcash, Kaamos, the Estonian Founders Society, the Good Deed Education Fund, and Startup Estonia. The private-sector contribution to the project is over 700,000 euros to the project.
“As a bossless company, we strongly identify with the 01 Edu System, a collaborative project-based learning methodology, which is the core of kood/Jõhvi,” says Proekspert’s Tiina Sakkos. “No teachers, no classes, no courses. The 01 Edu System offers proven peer-to-peer pedagogy, revealing the best creative coders through constructive socio-cognitive conflict in a caring atmosphere.”
