On 12 October, programme partner Adem and NumericAll (the manager of WebForce3, the school which runs the course) invited participating businesses and stakeholders to a round-table discussion attended by Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy, Nicolas Schmit.

Responding to market demand

After having remarked that Fit4coding meets the ever-increasing “labour market demand” for web developers, Adem director Isabelle Schlesser drew attention to the programme’s success. “To date all students have completed this extremely demanding course, proving that we have managed to successfully choose the most motivated candidates.”

NumericAll CEO Yves Lepage highlighted the programme’s main aim: to train integrators and developers to be ready to hit the ground running and capable of working in a team upon completion of the three-month course. “The programme is open to all: those looking for a career change, students, entrepreneurs, IT specialists and self-directed learners, ” he added and is, moreover, designed to “provide a tailored solution for businesses”. The training programme also includes guest lectures from visiting speakers representing partner companies like PwC, Kneip Caceis, Elliott, Société Générale, etc. There is also a mentoring programme. In addition, students are now expected to complete a work placement at the end of the course, often leading to permanent employment.

Positive feedback from companies

The feedback provided by companies was also very positive. Hugues Ait Mokhtar from financial data reporting specialist Kneip observed that the WebForce3 students demonstrate an “excellent working knowledge” and a “desire to learn”, and are “quality-focused”. CEO of IT consulting firm Elliott Hervé Cahu praised an “excellent training programme which meets the needs of businesses” and commended NumericAll which he said had managed to “identify the candidates’ strengths and steer them in the direction of the best companies”. Meanwhile, founder of communications agency Vanksen Xavier Lesueur mentioned a “pragmatic training programme” with a strong “entrepreneurial mindset”. 

Concluding the talk, Minister of Labour, Employment and the Social and Solidarity Economy Nicolas Schmit welcomed the “very encouraging feedback” and lavished praise on a project which is “innovative and in line with the new economic and technological framework which is set to emerge over the coming years”. He made an appeal for “young people to be encouraged” and “motivated individuals with talent and ambition to be given a chance”, especially with IT qualifications increasingly in demand. Finally, he spoke about hoping that the course would become a “pilot project” which others would seek to emulate. To do this, he called for “more work to be done on the marketing side of things in order to explain to business leaders what has been achieved here”. His final words were: “Technology is constantly evolving and training has to keep up.”