{"id":26045,"date":"2026-04-02T10:23:54","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T10:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/?p=26045"},"modified":"2026-04-02T12:02:29","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T12:02:29","slug":"estonias-top-tech-companies-challenged-future-developers-with-real-life-problems-at-kood-jobfair","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/articles-en\/estonias-top-tech-companies-challenged-future-developers-with-real-life-problems-at-kood-jobfair\/","title":{"rendered":"Estonia&#8217;s top tech companies challenged future developers with real-life problems at kood\/JobFair"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-el\">02.04.2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Last week, we brought together 200 future developers and several Estonia&#8217;s leading tech companies in J\u00f5hvi for kood\/JobFair. At the reimagined job fair, our alumni and students from J\u00f5hvi, V\u00f5ru and Paide were put to the test with technical challenges, giving them a chance to prove their skills and employers a direct look at today&#8217;s emerging tech talent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1160\" height=\"773\" src=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-307_resized-1160x773.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26056\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-307_resized-1160x773.jpg 1160w, https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-307_resized-195x130.jpg 195w, https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-307_resized-60x40.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 style=\"--ama-heading-stencil-color: var(--ama-accent-color-1)\" class=\"wp-block-heading wp-el\">A different kind of job fair<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Traditional job fairs don&#8217;t reflect what working in tech is actually like. At \/\/kood, we wanted to change that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">&#8220;Classic career fairs no longer accurately reflect real working life, nor do they give employers a clear enough picture of future candidates&#8217; capabilities. We&#8217;ve reimagined the format to create value for both sides &#8211; giving participants a real-world experience while helping companies better understand the future workforce,&#8221; says <strong>K\u00e4tlin Merisalu, Head of \/\/kood Learning Centres.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">At the heart of the event were company-set technical challenges drawn from their day-to-day work. \/\/kood students and alumni tackled the tasks in teams, then presented and defended their solutions on the spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><strong>Some of the real-world problems students worked on included:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list wp-el\">\n<li><strong>A parental benefit calculator<\/strong> (Helmes)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>An AI-powered negotiation agent<\/strong> (Pactum)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A loan calculator application wizard<\/strong> (Swedbank)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A crisis portal for infrastructure outages<\/strong> (Delfi Meedia)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A pet registry prototype<\/strong> (REMITK)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>A sports data analysis and visualisation platform<\/strong> (Genius Sports)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Participating companies also included <strong>Bolt, SEB, Ericsson, SMIT, VKG, Finest, \/\/kood and IDA Hub<\/strong> &#8211; representing a wide cross-section of Estonia&#8217;s tech industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1160\" height=\"773\" src=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-123_resized-1160x773.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26046\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-123_resized-1160x773.jpg 1160w, https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-123_resized-195x130.jpg 195w, https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-123_resized-60x40.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 style=\"--ama-heading-stencil-color: var(--ama-accent-color-2)\" class=\"wp-block-heading wp-el\">More than just coding<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><strong>Martin Villig, co-founder of both \/\/kood and Bolt,<\/strong> set the tone in his opening remarks by emphasising that coding skills alone are no longer enough. &#8220;Writing code is the foundation, but being able to explain what you&#8217;re doing and why is just as important. The best developers don&#8217;t just complete assigned tasks &#8211; they ask what value they&#8217;re creating and whether the problem can be solved differently.&#8221; He added that today&#8217;s tech companies look for candidates who can think beyond the single line of code: &#8220;It&#8217;s important to understand the big picture &#8211; from the company&#8217;s goals to your own role within them.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">Companies noted that what stood out most in students was genuine curiosity, strong analytical thinking, and an understanding that a developer&#8217;s role goes beyond writing code. Also highlighted was a mature attitude toward AI &#8211; seen primarily as a value-adding tool rather than a replacement for developers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><strong>Jelena Poleschuk, Tech Recruiter at software company Helmes<\/strong>, noted how naturally conversations moved beyond the code itself. &#8220;Discussions quickly progressed to the logic behind solutions, how systems work, and their real-world impact.&#8221; She added that while a strong technical foundation remains the primary requirement, standing out in a competitive field increasingly depends on the ability to learn independently, adapt, and connect technical decisions to business logic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1160\" height=\"773\" src=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-248_resized-1160x773.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-26051\" srcset=\"https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-248_resized-1160x773.jpg 1160w, https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-248_resized-195x130.jpg 195w, https:\/\/kood.tech\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/kood_JobFair-248_resized-60x40.jpg 60w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1160px) 100vw, 1160px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><strong>Marleen Saat, Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at AI negotiation software company Pactum<\/strong>, highlighted students&#8217; high level of initiative and their thoughtful approach to AI. &#8220;Many already had independent projects, which shows a real readiness to grow. There was a clear understanding that AI doesn&#8217;t replace a developer &#8211; it&#8217;s a tool that helps create value.&#8221; Today, she says, the candidates who stand out are those who combine strong foundational skills with critical and intentional use of AI.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><strong>Kaisa Anier-Soost, Head of Product Development and Technology Area at SEB<\/strong>, was struck by the depth and breadth of students&#8217; questions. &#8220;The interest wasn&#8217;t limited to technical topics, students also asked how teams work, what the organisational culture is like, and what values guide the company. That kind of attention shows that \/\/kood students think constructively and understand the importance of broader context.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\">For Viru Keemia Grupp, it was encouraging to see that many \/\/kood students are career changers who connect their IT skills with prior experience. &#8220;In technical roles, we value learning ability and problem-solving skills just as much as technical know-how. AI supports recruitment, but what ultimately makes the difference is a person&#8217;s motivation and attitude,&#8221; says <strong>Tea Allikm\u00e4e, Labor Relations Manager at VKG.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><em>\/\/<\/em>kood <em>was founded in J\u00f5hvi, Estonia in 2021, with the aim of making technology education accessible to everyone and <\/em>address the software developers shortage<em>. From 2025, students can study in J\u00f5hvi, V\u00f5ru and Paide. Its 12\u201315 month curriculum is based on 100% practical, 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, mobile applications, or AI.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><em>\/\/kood has welcomed more than 1,200 students in Estonia with close to 400 graduates &#8211; half of whom are now working in the technology sector. Students represent over 30 different nationalities, 21% are women <\/em>and the average age is 29<em>.&nbsp;You can find the \/\/kood peer-to-peer learning method and curriculum also in Finland, Ukraine and Kenya.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><em>In 2025, the Estonian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications recognised \/\/kood as one of the best entrepreneurship promoters in the country.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-el\"><em>The accessibility of IT education is supported by Skaala, Swedbank, Kaamos, LHV, SEB, Barrus and others.&nbsp;<\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"ama-block block-seperator full-width\" style=\"--seperator-bgcolor: var(--ama-accent-color-3);\"><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>02.04.2026 Last week, we brought together 200 future developers and several Estonia&#8217;s leading tech companies in J\u00f5hvi for kood\/JobFair. At the reimagined job fair, our&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26051,"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-26045","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\/26045","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=26045"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26045\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26069,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26045\/revisions\/26069"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26051"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kood.tech\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}