More than 800 applicants applied for the junior developer reskilling programme

The junior developer reskilling programme has started in Tallinn, Jõhvi, Paide and Võru. The programme is carried out by //kood on behalf of the Education and Youth Board (Harno). Out of more than 800 applicants, 268 people earned a free study place. The gender balance among candidates was equal, and the average participant age is 36, indicating a strong and conscious career-change trend.

According to Liina Kanter, Head of the Education Innovation Department at Harno the high interest in the programme shows that people want to strategically steer their careers toward fields with growing labour demand. “There is a clear need for digitally skilled employees in Estonia’s labour market. At the same time, many people are seeking opportunities to upgrade or redirect their careers. The junior developer programme is designed to make this change fast, accessible and high-quality.”

The programme aims to offer working-age adults the chance to make a quick and practical career shift into the tech sector, to start working as junior developers or transition into technology-intensive roles.

A remarkable trend this year was the equal number of women and men applying. “Such gender balance among applicants to IT programmes has been rare in recent years, pointing to a significant shift in both the perception of the tech sector and people’s career choices,” said //kood Head of Learning Centres Kätlin Merisalu. “It also reflects a wider trend – technological skills are becoming a universal competency needed everywhere.”

During the first three weeks, participants in all four cities will acquire the basics of software development. After that, they continue mostly through remote learning for five months. Tallinn welcomes 149, Võru 47, Paide 15 and Jõhvi 12 students.

A large share of participants already hold a higher education degree, and in Tallinn alone, more than 70 learners have a master’s degree. “This shows that reskilling has become a realistic option for experienced professionals who want to expand their careers in a more tech-oriented direction or make a complete shift. The average participant age of 36 also reflects a very deliberate career choice,” added Merisalu.

The programme is built on practical learning based on real-world challenges, mirroring the work of software development teams. Students complete independent tasks, collaborate in teams, build functional projects, and complete a two-month internship or a guided project internship. to apply their knowledge in a real-world environment.

Participants Kristiin (28) and Keit (34) are both career changers. Kristiin – co-founder of VLND Burger and social media specialist – and Keit, who comes from the maritime field, both wanted to learn something new and challenge themselves in a different industry. “I’ve long felt the desire to learn something new but couldn’t decide which direction to take. When I came across this programme, it felt like the right moment to give tech a chance,” said Kristiin. “After having children, I realised I needed a new professional outlet. I had some previous exposure to manual testing and felt that now is a good time to take the next step and try programming,” added Keit.

Those who didn’t get a free place in the reskilling programme still have the opportunity to apply to //kood’s main full-stack programme, which also offers a practical, project-based learning approach and a strong foundation for starting a tech career. Applications for the next cohort are open until January 4th.

The kood/Nooremarednaja programme is carried out by //kood on behalf of the Estonian Education and Youth Board (Harno) and funded by the European Union through the NextGenerationEU recovery fund.