Pipedrive expands its School of Code to Prague, aiming to bridge the tech skills gap
Pipedrive’s School of Code extends to Prague, Czechia, marking a significant move in the tech education landscape aimed at aligning educational achievements with real-world tech skills, fostering a new generation of software developers.
Pipedrive, celebrated for its user-friendly sales CRM tailored for small businesses, is making a significant stride in addressing the bridge between educational achievement and real-world tech skills with the expansion of its School of Code to Prague, Czechia. This initiative marks a milestone not only for Pipedrive but also for aspiring tech professionals in Prague, aligning with the city’s burgeoning repute as a European innovation hub.
The School of Code, initially piloted in Estonia, has been a resounding success, prompting its first international venture in Prague, home to Pipedrive’s third-largest development center. This expansion reflects a deliberate effort to mold the School of Code into a global programme, leveraging Prague’s dynamic tech scene as fertile ground for nurturing new talent.
Designed to cater to individuals possessing minimal to no work experience yet demonstrating a strong desire to embark on tech careers, the programme stands as a beacon of opportunity. It aims to shrink the educational-employment continuum while uplifting career prospects for the young demographic. At its core, the School of Code underscores the pressing need for practical, hands-on tech training that aligns with the pace of digital transformation businesses are currently navigating. This transformation, while opening avenues for innovation, also enlarges the educational gap in ICT, making the transition into the job sphere increasingly challenging for novices.
Leading the helm of School of Code Prague’s third season is Natalie Zacharova, a software engineer with two years of tenure at Pipedrive Prague. Zacharova, having been on both ends of the mentor-mentee dynamic, appreciates the importance of supporting novices as they venture into the tech world with curiosity and determination. Her involvement signals a promising direction for the upcoming batch of interns, offering them a mix of intensive training and real-world project handling that promises a thorough immersion into the software development domain.
The programme, extending over 11 weeks, promises a rigorous mix of theoretical groundwork and practical experience in programming languages, databases, and both back-end and front-end development. With an intake of 10 individuals, the internship goes beyond just imparting software development skills; it’s an initiation into teamwork, collaboration within a modern agile process environment, and problem-solving, hallmarks of real-world tech operations. Notably, the internship is compensated, emphasizing Pipedrive’s commitment to offering valuable and equitable learning experiences.
Feedback from the programme’s initial runs in Estonia points towards overwhelming positivity, both from participants and the internal teams at Pipedrive. The tangible outcomes, including the transition of 10 out of 18 participants into junior software engineers at Pipedrive, underscore the programme’s efficacy in bridging the educational gap while sourcing emerging talent.
Pipedrive stands at the intersection of innovation and education, driving growth for small businesses through its CRM solutions. With its roots planted in New York and branches spreading across Europe and the US, the company enjoys the backing of prestigious entities like Vista Equity Partners, Bessemer Venture Partners, Insight Partners, Atomico, and DTCP. The School of Code’s expansion to Prague is more than a programme extension; it is a testament to Pipedrive’s investment in the future of tech, offering a hands-on passage for aspiring software developers in one of Europe’s fastest-growing tech landscapes.