“Because this is a direct response to the requirements of Luxembourg’s companies, I am utterly convinced that the graduates will promptly find a job thanks to their new ICT skills.”
The WebForce3 academy, whose goal is to train 90 developers in 18 months, welcomed its first intake of students in November 2015; the 16 students, including 14 job seekers, were referred to as “pioneers” by Nicolas Schmit, a minister of Luxembourg, during his inaugural visit on 14 January 2016. Isabelle Schlesser, head of ADEM, who was also present that day, highlighted the importance of backing the launch of such an academy in Luxembourg. Thanks to the Fit4coding training course, financed partly by Fonds pour l’emploi [the Jobseekers’ Fund in Luxembourg], ADEM is proud to be able to offer such a training course to non-qualified applicants, who will be transformed in the space of only 3½ months into operational developers able to integrate into the labour market in the IT sector – a sector that is experiencing one of the highest growth rates in Luxembourg.
Mrs Schlesser, what are the prerequisites for undergoing the Fit4coding course?
There are no prerequisites for joining the WebForce3 academy. Above all, no prior ICT experience is necessary. We only require candidates to have a baccalaureate and to be fluent in French, for the lessons are given only in that language for the time being. The determinant selection criterion will be the applicants’ motivation. For without a strong motivation, it will be difficult for them to complete the course. This is a highly specific course that comprises 490 hours of lessons dispensed over just 3½ months. The students must also undergo self-assessments every evening. It’s very intense, but the formula has proven itself, especially in France where the WebForce3 academy has already trained more than 200 developers. To assess this motivation, we will also be looking out for applicants to tell us about their career ambitions in the course of individual interviews. Finally, our selection process also includes a “web culture” test.
Is there a standard profile for WebForce3 students?
Although some students of the first intake have shared backgrounds, experiences or track records, we are not seeking to recruit a standard profile – quite the contrary. Among our job seekers, there are for instance “quitters”, who gave up their studies before the end, and people whose trade is “becoming extinct” and to whom one must offer a way of updating one’s qualifications, without having to return to university for several years. Similarly, there is no age requirement. The recruitment campaign for the second intake will begin over the next few days. It will comprise a maximum of 18 students. Out of fairness, we would like to take in more women this time round, for they are under-represented in the current intake.
Training 90 developers in 18 months, is that a guaranteed job?
The first 18 months will be a test phase for the WebForce3 academy in Luxembourg, which is a pilot project. We want to ensure that it works and that the graduates find jobs upon completing the course. And we have every reason to believe this, since this project has been developed in partnership with companies such as Kneip, Vanksen and PwC, which told us that they had a real requirement in this respect. Like them, many companies in Luxembourg are looking for junior developers and integrators, but are having a lot of trouble finding these profiles. WebForce3 trains this kind of technicians to be immediately operational. Because this is a direct response to the requirements of Luxembourg’s companies, I am utterly convinced that the graduates will promptly find a job thanks to their new ICT skills. And ADEM will continue to assist them to that end.
