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Work In Tech Finland: IT support (autumn 2023):
During this program, 150 women in Finland will:
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get FREE access to an online course developed by Google and Coursera to develop skills that enable starting a career in IT
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develop a network among the local community of learners and recruiters
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develop soft-skills that support career change
The course lasts for 6 months.
The application is open until 23.07.2023.
NB! The application period is extended until 29.08.2023. We will be accepting learners on a rolling basis.
The first training for those who start in September will be on 02.09 from 10.00-12.30. Please book that time in your calendar while applying.
Short description:
Program duration: from August 2023 until January 2024
Price: FREE
Application period: until 23.07.2023
Language: The course is held in English
Application criteria: no previous IT-related job or learning experience required, just a motivation to start a career in IT.
Course structure: independent learning in Coursera (about 150h) to boost IT-related skills, webinars twice a month to increase soft skills, and internship at the end of the course.
What to expect as a learner?
During the program learners will get access to a free e-course in Coursera that gives learners a broad overview of IT and skills to start working as an IT Support specialist. It takes approximately 150 independent learning hours to finish the e-course. Learners can choose their own time and speed for finishing the course, however, we expect it to be finished within 5 months.
After the e-course is finished, learners can go for an internship/working immediately. If you are unsure whether IT support can be an exiting for you - check out this webinar with Taehee Lee, Customer Support Quality Lead @ Supermetrics.
However, if you find out during the program that IT support is still not your cup of tea - you can continue by taking an advanced course to study IT. If you are quick in Finishing IT Support within couple of months, we will provide you with additional opportunity to six career specializations at Coursera. You can also continue by choosing other coursers outside our program scope. By going to internship (work) or choosing further studies you will be finishing the program and getting a certificate on top of the one coming from Coursera after finishing the e-course.
There will be additional webinars organised to increase learners soft skills and career possibilities. Those meetings are held online approximately twice a month and last about 2-4 hours. The initial topics for the webinars are following (can change a bit based on the learners preferences and availability of trainers/guest lecturers):
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Goal Setting, keeping motivation and avoiding distractions while learning
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Learning strategies, how brain studies, how to avoid distractions, etc.
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Thinking techniques to solve obstacles
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Career planning (what work/organisations/roles would suite me)?
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Introduction to careers in IT
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Building a strong CV, motivational letter and Linkedin profile
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How to prepare for a job interview
The instructors of webinars may give learners additional independent tasks/exercises to be completed before or after the webinars to deepen the learning curve.
During the whole program learners get to meet inspirational speakers and company representatives to learn more about different job possibilities in the field of IT.
The learners will find themselves in an warm and friendly learning environment. Learners are organised into smaller learning groups of 5-6 learners, allowing to get to know each other better. The program managers are at disposal to support learners in every way they can - including for example giving 1-to-1 advice regards future career, CV, motivation letter, etc.
85% of our learners have started an internship, work or further studies in IT during our former Work In Tech programs in 2021 and 2022. The graduates of former programs have started working as:
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It Support Specialist, B2B IT Suppport Specialist
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Junior cybersecurity specialist
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Tester
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Programmer
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Infrastructure engineer
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IT Service manager, IT product owner/manager
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IT team lead, product owner
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IT trainer, consultant
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and many more...
With additional learning and combining your expertise from your previous field you will become a valuable talent on the IT landscape. Read more about how Annika combined her prior experience and new IT skills for a new career, or how Kati found her passion for testing.
Want to know more about IT related career possibilities in Finland? Watch these 45-minute webinars from the She Works In Tech Career Day, which we organised to our Spring cohort learners. Seven professional women explain their journeys to IT from non-tech fields and their daily jobs as data analysts, service designers, UX professionals and many more.
Criteria for candidates
The program accepts applications from candidates, who have:
- strong desire and motivation to start a career in IT
- ability to dedicate approximately 5-7 hours per week for studies
- basic IT skills (to search for information in web, use ready made applications, etc)
- a level of English that enables studying and communicating in English, no IT specific terminology required
How to apply?
To apply to the program, go to the online form in Google Forms (by clicking the apply button) and provide us with the following information:
- your contact details
- link to your LinkedIn profile (if you do not have it, then now it is the time to do it ;))
- a motivation letter, where you explain your motivation and thrive to start working in the IT field, as well as your capabilities & resources for fulfilling the course criteria
Criterias for passing the program
To pass the program, the leaner must:
- finish the IT Support course in Coursera (about 150 h or independent learning)
- attend majority of the webinars
- go for an internship or choose additional course to study independently after the current program has finished
Learners, who meet the criteria above will get a certificate stating that they have passed the program.
More information
We are at your disposal for further information
Sirja Sulakatko
Pilot of the Work In Tech Finland program
Majid Aleem
Co-pilot of the Work In Tech Finland program