Challengership

The Challengership is our IT traineeship for top talents. Here you will learn professional programming and gain work experience in a challenging IT role that suits you. Whether you’re into front-end development or data science, together we’ll find the IT role that fits your interests and ambitions.

Why do we call this a Challengership? That’s because the tech industry is actually one big challenge. You are challenged every day. You’re never done learning. That’s why you’re not a trainee or junior. In our Challengership, you are a Challenger. You want to be challenged every day and join us in building your IT career.

Up for the Challenge? Level up your career!

What we offer

We can write endless paragraphs, but this is the info you obviously are looking for. That’s why we just put it right at the top.

What you will find in our Challengership:

✅ Certainty: you will get a permanent contract and a good salary immediately.
✅ Personal: We work on a small scale and look for the best match for you.
✅ Customized: you will receive specific customized training from us in an IT role that suits you.
✅ Soft skills: You will receive comprehensive soft skills training from us.
✅ Long term: we are looking for a suitable client who has a great career path waiting for you.

Furthermore, you will of course receive the necessary vacation days, full travel allowance, fun events and good coffee. But then again, that’s logical. 😉

How to level up

The Challengership is a one- or two-year IT traineeship that focuses on your professional and personal development. Combine this with gaining valuable work experience, and the Challengership is the kickstart for your IT career.

01. Bootcamp

The start of a Challengership is an intensive bootcamp. During the bootcamp you will be taught design thinking, agile working, IT concepts, programming languages, tools and frameworks you need for your tech function. During the bootcamp you will also already get to know the work at your client. You will work part-time on practical assignments with your client and receive part-time training at the Young_Coders training location in Amersfoort.

Exactly what the bootcamp looks like and how long it lasts depends on the IT function you are being trained for and the technologies used at your client. The bootcamps are always project-based. This means that you and your fellow Challengers will unravel a problem for which you will then devise a technological solution. You will develop this solution together during the bootcamp. In the process, you will learn all the tools and technologies that your client also uses on a daily basis. You will learn this from one of our experienced teachers, who will teach you and guide you through the entire process. The last day of your bootcamp you will present the final product to your client with a demo.

02. Soft skills

After the bootcamp, your soft skills track starts. This is a super instructive course in which you will learn about giving and receiving feedback, communicating, time management and growth ambitions, among other things.

In the soft skill track, you will receive, among other things:

✅ Soft skills two-day course with overnight stay;
✅ Individual coaching sessions and personal goals;
✅ Soft skills exercises and training for 5 months with one class each month.

You’ll participate in the soft skills track after your bootcamp, while working for your client.

03. Work Experience

During the bootcamp, you already got to know your client’s organization, your colleagues and the work environment. You have already done some “field work” and after the bootcamp you are ready to get even more work experience. Whatever role you end up in, programming is something you learn by doing. You will spend the remainder of the first year working for your client, where you will be fully integrated into the team in no time. In addition, you will work weekly on your own development and on interesting cases internally for Young_Coders. You learn more and more with practical hands-on work and thanks to your soft skills course you can give direction to your ambitions. Every month, a success coach from Young_Coders will stop by to check in on you to see how things are going. Are you still satisfied, do you need more or different knowledge? We will support you in that. Young_Coders offers you every opportunity to continue to develop your knowledge while working for your client. At the end of the first year, we will evaluate your progress and discuss what is needed to further specialize in your IT role in the second year.

04. Year 2

Whether your Challengership lasts one or two years depends on your client. If your Challengership lasts two years, in the second year we will create a non-development plan with you so that you can specialize even further in your IT function.
For your further development you will take one or more training courses while working for your client. In addition, you can play an active role in mentoring new Challengers. Your mindset of constant learning will keep you developing and make you more and more indispensable to your client. In the second year we work towards the fact that after successfully completing your Challengership, you will have developed your knowledge and skills to such an extent that your client can decide to offer you an employment contract. In 85% of cases, this happens and you get to continue your tech career in permanent employment with your client. We see that our Challengers are given many growth opportunities after their Challengership and are often happy in their positions with their employers years after the Challengership. That’s what we try to accomplish together during the two years of the Challengership. A great tech career where you are happy and doing what you do best.

Entry criteria

Sounds good doesn’t it? But when are you eligible for a Challengership?

Our Challengers:

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Are (almost) graduated from a bachelor's or academic study or have a bachelor's or academic thinking level;

You are welcome even without a bachelors or academic degree, but it is important that you already bring valuable work experience or programming knowledge. Otherwise, it is difficult to find a suitable client for you.
Do you still need to finish a few courses, but are close to graduating? In some cases, this is not a problem. You can then pass your final courses during the Challengership.

Already have some basic programming experience;

For example, through a minor at school or hobby.
No experience yet? Then follow the Challengership Track on our e-learning Academy To get the right basic programming skills for a Challengership!

Are at the beginning of their careers;

For most people, this means graduating no later than three years ago.

Are available full time;

The Challengership is an intensive work-learning program for which you must be available 36 to 40 hours a week.

Live in the Netherlands and may work here;

You must be allowed to work in the Netherlands for at least three years and have a place of residence here.

Speak, read and write Dutch and English at a good level;

In some cases only English is sufficient, this depends on the client.

Are super excited to start their IT careers!

Speaks for itself! You have the right motivation and are eager to learn.

Have you become excited about a Challengership and do you meet the profile of a Challenger? Then check out the open positions and apply, and we’ll see each other soon!

Vacancies

Help, I don’t quite fit the profile!

Are you eager to start a career in IT, but do not meet the above criteria? For example, because you have no programming experience yet or because you already have a lot of work experience and are no longer at the beginning of your career? Then too, we would like to help you find a start in IT. A good start begins with knowledge. Knowledge of IT makes you valuable in the job market, but it also gives you insight into what you like and what you don’t. The world of IT is incredibly broad and there are many directions in which you can go to work. By gaining knowledge on our free e-learning platform, you will find out what you like best and what you would like to delve further into. You can also gain the basic experience required to qualify for a Challengership there.

View e-learning

Situations

Are you doubting whether a Challengership is for you and are you curious whether our Challengership fits your situation? Here are some examples of situations we often encounter at Challengers:

I found out while studying psychology that I really like programming and want to make that my profession.
I really want to become a developer but an IT study didn’t suit me.
I would like to combine my expertise from my studies in finance with my affinity for technology, in a job in IT.
I’m actually a musician and I’m programming for fun in my spare time. Now I would like to continue my career in a more attractive industry with more certainty.
I’ve been tinkering with computers since I was a kid and have a lot of experience with programming, but I don’t manage to find a job in IT because I have no official training in IT.
I have taken a master’s in Data Science and would like to start my career in this.

Still doubting if it’s what you want? Then make an appointment for a career interview, no strings attached. You will then meet with one of our success coaches to discover which step best fits your situation.

plan career interview