How is it possible to give more impetus to IT development and HR processes at the same time, even though this field is understaffed? How can you fill the gap when you need specialists of a company-specific technology who are ready to join a project as quickly as possible? The corporate bootcamp, which provides specific skills in close cooperation with a company, responds to these challenges.
Green Fox Academy is introducing a new B2B service: the corporate bootcamp training model, which it has continuously improved in its domestic and international projects and is now making widely available to its partners. We asked Anita Fachs, General Director of Green Fox Academy, about the opportunities offered by the corporate bootcamp.
What are the current trends in the IT labour market?
IT developments have surged this year, and the need for programmers is growing constantly. Big companies working on their own solutions are hiring large numbers of junior professionals, especially in the banking and financial sectors, which are the pioneers of digitalisation, and the same applies to companies providing IT services to their partners.
However, when looking deeper into the processes, we see significant differences. At companies developing their own solutions, it is typically the interview process that decides which area a junior candidate can be assigned to. It is crucial that the new team member must learn the necessary skills quickly and can get involved in the substantive work as soon as possible.
-continues Anita.
As for service providers who develop software, there is a boom in projects built around low-code platforms that accelerate digitalisation processes. In their case, the challenge is that low-code application development is just taking off, so there are hardly any specialists. If you do find one, it is important to have a quick on-boarding process.
What are the crucial points of recruitment?
The market is basically demand-based: there is huge competition for experienced developers, but companies are also scrambling for juniors. When special knowledge or a higher number of staff is needed within a short time, it is particularly difficult to find the right people.
In this situation, employers who are well-known and build a strong brand that attracts talents will be at an advantage. The length of the selection process also affects its outcome since competitors can take the best candidates while the process is still on.
But even if you hire new employees, it is no guarantee, as many people withdraw during the probationary period, even before they have got to know the company and their job. Simply because they are offered something else that looks better. There are many risks in this period before commitment to the company is formed.
How can you reduce these risks?
It is worth building your own talent pool. The most effective strategy is if employers do not simply rely on the labour market but enter a step earlier and actively engage in the training of skilled workers.
In this case IT bootcamp provides an ideal opportunity. Green Fox Academy students, for example, are highly motivated since they are career-changers. Moreover, they can quickly expand their knowledge on their own because this is one of the skills we develop intensely. Our corporate partners can contact the students at various points during the course and are able to build their visibility and employer brand, for example by presenting professionally attractive projects or career paths to the students.
-explains Anita.
Corporate bootcamp offers an even closer co-operation. Corporate bootcamp is a unique form of training, tailored to the technology and needs of a specific company, where we build an own talent pool for our partner. We work together with the company’s IT, HR and marketing specialists, from drawing up the course plan to recruiting candidates and then training students, even selecting future employees or assigning them to specific projects. This results in a significant reduction in the time and cost of the on-boarding process. For example, a 3-month-long platform-specific on-boarding can be reduced to 1.5 months, while senior developers can not only support the assignment of 2 or 3 juniors to a project but of a whole class instead. This means that a lot of senior mentoring time is free to be reallocated.
When is it worth launching your own corporate bootcamp?
Whenever a company has specific needs or is looking for a quick and cost-effective method to expand its development team. For example, if you need programmers with expertise in a less common technology or a narrower field, or if you are planning to hire a larger number of juniors at once.
The advantage of the technology-specific course is that we build on the solid basic knowledge provided to the students, by involving senior experts from the company, to create a unique knowledge base that graduates can use immediately when they start their new job. By significantly shortening the time necessary for the on-boarding of new employees, our corporate partners will also experience a boost in their development processes. But it is also a way to bridge the gap in, for example, the current lack of training related to Microsoft Dynamics, ServiceNow or Salesforce platforms; this lack contradicts the increasing use of low-code application development.
Based on a corporate bootcamp, you can even build a full, project-ready team from junior professionals. Another huge advantage of group recruitment from your own talent pool is the deeper connection between students and the company, as well as the sense of community. And do not forget that this is also the fastest and most cost-effective way for the company. Green Fox has now fully integrated its experience gained during the development and implementation of corporate bootcamps – both internationally and domestically – into its business and operational processes.
