People applied to \/\/kood for many reasons – to change careers<\/strong>, to test whether tech could be a realistic next step, <\/strong>or simply to challenge themselves. For most, the Selection Sprint was the first encounter with \/\/kood\u2019s learning method, offering a clear picture of what studying at \/\/kood involves: independent work, collaboration with peers, and learning through trial and error.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2025, we had our first three kood\/Empower bootcamps <\/strong>where we offered an introduction to coding for women who might otherwise hesitate to explore tech. These short, four-day bootcamps welcomed close to a hundred women and, for some participants, became a first step toward further learning at \/\/kood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year marked a significant expansion of our network. Alongside continued studies in J\u00f5hvi, kood\/J\u00e4rva<\/strong> (in Paide) and kood\/V\u00f5ru<\/strong> officially opened their doors, welcoming their first students and team members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beyond Estonia, we also took meaningful steps internationally. In Zhytomyr, Ukraine<\/strong>, adults whose education and careers had been disrupted by war began their journey into tech through a programme based on the \/\/kood learning model. In Nairobi, Kenya<\/strong>, the same approach was adapted to a different context, shaped by local needs and opportunities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Across our locations, studying closely resembles everyday work in software development teams. Students collaborate in groups, review each other\u2019s code, test solutions, and learn how to give and receive feedback constructively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While students gain technical knowledge<\/strong>, more importantly, they develop skills that remain relevant regardless of tools: problem-solving, adaptability, and teamwork<\/strong>. This approach proved especially valuable in a year shaped by rapid discussions around AI and the changing nature of tech work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Learning is also supported by various events, webinars, and other activities. One of these is kood\/JobFair<\/strong>, our flagship career event in Estonia that brings students, alumni, and hiring partners together to share insights, network, and explore career opportunities. In 2025, we welcomed more than 50 industry experts<\/strong> and over 200 students.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 2025 also brought recognition for work built steadily over time, with several awards acknowledging our contribution to public\u2013private cooperation, regional learning initiatives, and wider access to tech education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A particularly meaningful milestone came when the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications <\/strong>recognised \/\/kood as the best entrepreneurship promoters in Estonia.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Partnerships with organisations such as SEB, Swedbank, LHV, Ericsson, SMIT, and others<\/strong> continued to deepen. Together with our partners, we organised activities that supported learning and career awareness, including company visits, job shadowing, code reviews, guest lectures, and more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A major milestone was the launch of kood\/FutureCoders<\/strong>, our high school elective programme supported by V\u00f5rumaa Arenduskeskus <\/strong>and SEB.<\/strong> To date, the programme is running in over 25 schools across Estonia<\/strong>, introducing more than 1000 students<\/strong> (and teachers) to programming, web development, and data analysis through a practical, hands-on approach. The programme was also recognised by the Ministry of Justice and Digital Affairs together with the Estonian Association of Information Technology and Telecommunications (ITL) as the Best Public\u2013Private ICT Cooperation Project.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As \/\/kood has grown, so has our alumni community. In 2025, alumni remained actively involved<\/strong> by returning to events, sharing experiences, and taking part in discussions alongside new and current students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This year also marked an important moment for many students as they graduated <\/strong>and took their next steps into the tech sector. Alumni stories continued to inspire us and reflect the diversity of paths into tech from ballet artists, musicians, and military officers<\/strong> to software developers, product engineers, and DevOps specialists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2025 laid strong foundations for what comes next. With new learning centres established, international initiatives underway, and a growing community across different stages of study and work, we move forward with excitement for the year ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thank you to everyone – alumni, students, partners, and team members – who contributed to this year and helped shape what \/\/kood has become and what it is becoming!<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n 2025 was a year of important progress at \/\/kood. We opened new learning centres in Estonia, expanded programming education into upper secondary schools through kood\/FutureCoders,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25025,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[212,233],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25015","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles-en","category-news-en"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25015","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25015"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25015\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":25024,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25015\/revisions\/25024"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25025"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25015"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25015"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25015"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kood_batch7-157_resized-1160x773.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nGrowing across Estonia and beyond<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/kood_sprint18-39_resized-1160x773.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nLearning that mirrors real work<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/KOOD_JOHVI_210225-313-1160x773.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nPartnerships and recognition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/rene-riisalu-25.11.01-1935438500-1160x772-1.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nA community that continues beyond studies<\/h3>\n\n\n\n