42

Telecom entrepreneur Xavier Niel identified a gap in digital-sector employment caused by a lack of trained talent, noting that many people could not access traditional training due to education requirements or cost, while the industry struggled to recruit. He founded 42 in Paris in 2012, investing €60 million, as a free, tuition-free IT school requiring no high-school diploma.

42 uses a 'Peer-Learning' model with no teachers and no lectures: students face software-development challenges in a 100% hands-on, project-based curriculum, searching for information, trying, failing and trying again, mostly by discussing and debating with other students. Completed projects are peer-evaluated on a 5-to-10 scale; failure allows a retry or another project, while success unlocks the next challenge and grants experience points, with quests, achievements and a hall of fame structuring progress. Students have opportunities to work in industry as part of their training. 900 places are available each year for 18-30 year-olds, many from marginalised backgrounds and lacking formal qualifications; the school has since expanded to campuses worldwide, funded by local partners.

To date, 6,300 students have passed through 42, almost 40% without a high-school degree. The first stage of the curriculum has a 30% dropout rate, reported as lower than most universities. Every student who reaches the second part of the curriculum goes on to get a job in industry; students receive no formal certification, but their experience and training are recognised in industry.