Over 80 Ukrainian adults begin their journey into IT with innovative Estonian programme

The Estonian programming school //kood has opened kood/Zhytomyr in cooperation with Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University and with support from ESTDEV. The launch was attended by the First Lady of Estonia, Mrs. Sirje Karis, signalling Estonia’s long-term commitment to Ukraine’s digital education and resilience.

kood/Zhytomyr focuses on practical IT education for adults, equipping them with the skills needed to transition into technology careers. The first cohort of 80 students will begin their studies in a hybrid format, ensuring continuity despite the ongoing security and logistical challenges caused by the war. The City of Tallinn has also contributed to the project by donating computers and monitors to the University.

The three Selection Sprints that preceded the launch drew nearly 200 applicants. From these, about 80 participants will be admitted, with an average age of 24. Their backgrounds are as diverse as Ukraine itself: from fresh graduates to mid-career professionals, with previous studies ranging from IT and engineering to business, law, linguistics and even medicine. Work experience spans fields such as software development, education, public safety, sales, healthcare and the military.

Importantly, the third Sprint was dedicated exclusively to women: 22 women between 19 and 45 years old joined the kood/Empower sprint. One of them, Olha (40) from Mykolaiv, described her motivation: “For me, this is a challenge because programming is a completely new field. I have never written code before, but I want to try it myself in order to grow and have new opportunities.”

This mix of ages, genders and professional histories underlines //kood programme’s mission: making technology education accessible to all motivated learners, regardless of background.

Speaking at the opening event, Sirje Karis, First Lady of Estonia, noted that in today’s world, IT-skills are the key to freedom, creativity and resilience as they strengthen both individuals and entire nations. “I am especially glad to see that so many women are part of this very first class of kood/Zhytomyr. Your participation is essential – not only for equality, but also because diversity makes innovation stronger,” Sirje Karis said. 

“Ukraine continues to be our most important development cooperation partner. By supporting such projects, we help strengthen Ukraine’s technology education and the development of IT skills in practical adult learning, which are essential for nation-building,” said Margus Gering, ESTDEV’s Head of Europe and Ukraine Reconstruction. “Digital competence gives people the opportunity to shape a better future for themselves, supports job creation and increases the resilience and sustainability of the entire society.”

Mari-Liis Kitter, co-founder of //kood, added: “Our story with Ukraine didn’t begin in Zhytomyr. Already in Estonia, Ukrainian women made up a good portion of our second student batch, and now some of them are back as tutors helping to kickstart this programme here. Our cooperation is not just symbolic — it’s a long-term commitment. We are in Ukraine to stay and our goal is to expand the programme to other regions with local partners ready to join forces.”

//kood was founded in Jõhvi, Estonia in 2021, with the aim of making technology education accessible to all. Its 12–18 month curriculum is based on self-directed and peer-to-peer learning, covering full-stack software development, teamwork and problem solving. Students can later specialise in fields such as cybersecurity, data analysis, mobile applications and AI.

So far, //kood has welcomed more than 1,500 students in Estonia and Finland, with over 350 graduates — nearly two-thirds of whom are now working in the technology sector. Students represent over 30 different nationalities and 21% are women.

In 2025, the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications recognised //kood as one of the best entrepreneurship promoters in the country.

Additional information:
Mari-Liis Kitter
//kood co-founder
mariliis@kood.tech
https://koodukraine.tech/