Estonian coding school kood/Jõhvi announces the expansion of its innovative coding school model. After three successful years operating in Estonia, the //kood community is expanding to Finland.

This expansion marks the beginning of //kood journey to establish an international network of coding schools, enhancing the collaborative opportunities between students and businesses internationally.

“We see kood/Sisu as an important member of the //kood community on our road to an international network of regional coding schools. Both schools are launched to bring innovative coding education and new career opportunities to people in regional centers, driving interest and elevating economies. The cooperation potential, even in Europe, is tremendous,” said Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of Wise and kood/Jõhvi.

GOOD TO KNOW
//kood operates in Jõhvi, Estonia and Kuopio, Finland. It was originally founded in 2020 by a group of Estonian entrepreneurs. The Jõhvi school has enrolled over 700 active learners and received over 10,000 applications since its launch.

The //kood school model for a new operator includes a dedicated study platform, strategic partnership-building and operational guidelines, and full branding rights.

“Collaboration with //kood community offers concrete benefits to Finnish students, including a modern learning platform, potential student exchanges, collaborative projects within the //kood community, and perhaps even future internships within the partner network. We are genuinely building a community greater than an individual school, where members and students support each other in various ways,” noted Laura Nykänen, the head of kood/Sisu in Finland.

Diversity as a solution to the lack of software developers

The //kood school model is designed for self-study and peer-to-peer learning and is tailored to equip future software developers with critical coding skills. This initiative aims to significantly reduce the global shortage of software developers and revolutionize the current educational framework by integrating practical, real-world coding applications.

Both coding schools aim to promote diversity in the software industry and educate versatile programming professionals to meet the changing needs of the job market and the industry.

“Both schools are launched to bring innovative coding education and new career opportunities to people in regional centers, driving interest and elevating economies.”
Taavet Hinrikus, co-founder of Wise and kood/Jõhvi.

Students at //kood schools come from very different backgrounds: they may be straight from school or working professionals in medicine, hospitality, education, maritime, etc.

“The more diverse a group of people with various backgrounds who speak the language of programming in the future, the richer and more impactful digital services and products we can produce in the future. Coding is a language like any other; Finnish and English are constantly diversifying and evolving, and anyone can learn to speak them,” says Nykänen.

FACTS 

• Founded by 8 Estonian entrepreneurs, including Taavet Hinrikus, (ex-Wise, Plural) and Martin Villig (Bolt), the self-study and peer-to-peer learning program for ages 18+ launched in Estonia 3 years ago with a mission to innovate education and rapidly supply skilled IT professionals to the market.
• The recently launched kood/Sisu in Finland just enrolled its first 150 students in March 2024 (applications were more than 2,000), marking the first international expansion for the //kood initiative.
• Both schools are launched to bring innovative coding education and new career opportunities to people in regional centres, driving interest and elevating regional economies.
• In Estonia 80% of graduates have found work in different IT companies, from small to big. They are working as developers and engineers.
• In Estonia 33 different nationalities represented, 25% of students are female, the average age is 28. In Finland 33 different nationalities represented, 25% of students are female, the average age is 33.

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