C_school prepares the future generation of developers for the reality of the job

The IT job market has been experiencing an interesting dynamic that not necessarily applies to all economic sectors: even with a large influx of university students interested in pursuing a career in technology, companies still face difficulties to find specialized developers for their projects. One of the reasons is the fact that employers and universities don’t always agree on what are the most important characteristics of a young professional. Therefore, even if recent graduates acquire the necessary knowledge from the academic environment, they often lack most of the critical skills desired by the market.
During an interview for BBC regarding the reasons why graduates are having trouble to find a job, the director of the Georgetown University Centre on Education and the Workforce, Anthony Carnevale, pointed out that the problem resides on the fact that employers have unrealistic expectations and students are not developing critical skills at the universities. “Employers say students may have textbook knowledge but don’t have the ability to take that knowledge to think critically, innovate, solve complex problems and work well in a team”, said. “They want students to come to the workplace with skills that people used to develop on the job”.
It’s a known paradox in which companies require proven experienced while recruiting new talent, but this requirement is exactly what keeps young graduates from gaining the necessary experience. Looking to bridge the gap between the influx of new professionals and the demanding employers, the C_school was created to guide young IT specialists and assist on their development of crucial skills that will ultimately help them succeed in the technology sector.
C_school is the first model of technological education in Poland funded by a private company, with classes in Warsaw, Gdansk and Katowice. Applicants selected through a rigorous recruitment process have the opportunity to participate in (approx.) a 3-month program focused 100% on practice. Instructed by a staff of experienced IT professionals specialized on teaching methodologies, the C_school students learn the programming language and techniques from scratch and also get familiarized with the tools assisting in software development.
The program’s methodology is based on the Peer Code Review system, in order to create an environment to exchange experiences. This model promotes interaction between instructors and students, prioritizing communications, project management and technological skills. Each individual brings knowledge that’s valuable to the others, driving the entire group to develop together through cooperation and team work.
On the market’s doorstep
After developing their skills in collaboration with mentors and colleagues, the participants also get the chance to accumulate the valuable, real-world experience most companies demand. Those who successfully graduate from C_school receive an offer to cooperate with Connectis on a 2-year contract, as part of an extensive network of renowned IT specialists. It’s an opportunity to be part of important, challenging and interesting projects that would probably be out of the reach of most of the recent university graduates.
The requirements for those interested in joining the C_school include good command of English and enrolment or graduation from studies in technical sciences, however they can differ within each edition. Candidates go through a recruitment process that involves the submission of an application with a CV and basic information, a simple assessment test and an interview. The main focus is on good analytical thinking skills, so the candidates are not required to have coding experience. In fact, even those who don’t know any programming language have a chance to graduate from C_school, considering they would be willing to put in some extra work to keep up with the basics of coding.

C_school is not an internship, nor a trainee program: it’s an applied programming course designed to provide young professionals with practical knowledge and critical skills that are not developed over the course of university studies. It aims to address the current issues on the IT job market by giving students the opportunity to adapt to the sector’s reality, while guaranteeing a chance to join big projects and build a portfolio just after a few months of studies.
If you are interested in the topic, we recommend the following article: http://www.bbc.com/capital/story/20151118-this-is-the-real-reason-new-graduates-cant-get-hired
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