We are very pleased to announce the successful launch of intechgration, an innovative vocational training programme. The first cohort of students are now in their third week of intensive training in front-end web development, as part of the three-month pilot program.
Recognizing that vocational training opportunities are not equally accessible to everyone, we put together this free educational programme to support aspiring refugees and migrants to have a chance to compete in the well-paying tech industry. The innovative course design incorporates collaborative and project-based learning with a strong focus on community. It also offers professional development in the form of support for resume writing, mock interviews, and networking. Students will have 9 hours of weekly instruction in-person at ECHO HUB Athens and 10 hours/week of homework/practice and will be provided with laptops, internet data and transportation stipends.
The idea for intechgration came from Abed and Sohail, two software developers, graduates of a similar programme (so-called coding bootcamp) who are now leading the course, with the help of some friends, also professionals from the tech industry. All contributing as volunteers as a way to give back to the community since according to them: “Getting into tech was one of the best things to happen in our lives!”. Their willingness and persistence to support the community is an inspiration for all of us and especially the highly-motivated students who eagerly signed up for the programme.
The programme was developed over the summer of 2021, in partnership with HumanRights360, ECHO100Plus, and Common Ground. We intend to launch the full version of this programme in 2022 and hope that it will inspire similar initiatives in other fields also.
Learn more and stay up to date at intechgration.io and by following us on social media:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/abedhamami/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/sohail-haqyar/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/intechgration/about/
https://www.facebook.com/ECHOHUBAthens
https://www.facebook.com/HumanRights360org
https://www.facebook.com/commongroundgreece