Techconnect

The overall aim of TechConnect is to encourage 50,000 people from underrepresented groups to follow a tech study programme and get a tech job. TechConnect’s target groups: 20,000 employees of corporates (‘generation X’ – 40 and over) to be trained or re-trained, 15,000 women, young people with a migration background, and members of specific social groups to be trained or re-trained at private academies, 9,000 unemployed people to be trained or re-trained in (new) tech, 5,000 owners of SMEs to learn digital skills and 1,000 ‘overqualified’ people to be trained to become designers or tech administrators.
Despite the economic growth of recent years, the inequality of opportunities has increased. Techconnect has launched 12 projects to increase opportunities for underrepresented groups and neighbourhoods.
These initiatives include two new coding schools targeting unemployed young people of all skill levels. In October 2019, MolenGeek (a coding school, co-working space and incubator based in Brussels) opened its first Dutch franchises using the name TechGrounds in Zaanstad Poelenburg and Amsterdam’s Nieuw-West neighbourhood. Additional locations in Rotterdam and other cities in the Netherlands are planned as well. The program is free for the unemployed, builds a community and collaboration network with companies, social services, and government.
TechConnect released TekkieWorden, a guide for studying and working which provides an overview of programmes for each branch of Dutch secondary education along with tech-sector job profiles. It also launched TeachForAmsterdam, a project created through cooperation between schools, businesses and university teacher training programmes that aims to create 300 teachers with informatics skills within four years.

Context: The economy is changing rapidly due to the growth and development of new technologies. The impact on people, organisations and society is great. Digitisation is increasingly appearing in traditional professions. Tech is now a part of everything, in all sectors and education levels. Everyone has to deal with it, and we need qualified candidates to fill the growing number of IT jobs.

Stakeholders involved: Amsterdam Economic Board
Booking.com
TomTom,
ICT education fund CA-ICT

Key learning points: NEI.

Evaluation: No

Information sources: Description of projects: https://amsterdamsmartcity.com/projects/techconnect
Techgrounds: https://techgrounds.nl/
BIT Academy: https://www.bit-academy.nl/
Closer2Tech: https://www.amsterdameconomicboard.com/nieuws/closer2tech-moet-iedereen-de-kans-geven-om-de-komende-jaren-in-tech-te-werken
Project timeline: https://www.amsterdameconomicboard.com/initiatief/techconnect
Overview of project: https://www.iamsterdam.com/en/business/news-and-insights/news/2019/new-action-programme-diversifies-amsterdam-tech-scene

Read the full analysis: https://techconnect.city/