Take a look at our take during on Kurzarbeit! In this article we'll be tackling following points:
1. Learning a new skill for free while on Kurzarbeit in Germany
2. How you can learn to code at Le Wagon on Kurzarbeit
3. Which bootcamps you can choose from
4. Our adapted learning format
5. How to apply
1. How can I or my employees learn new digital skills while on Kurzarbeit?
Germany is expected to suffer the worst economic slump since the end of World War II. Local governments are providing support to corporations and startups to ensure that the economy stays strong during the coming months.
One of these measures is Kurzarbeit (short-time work). This is where the employer can reduce the number of hours their employees work during the crisis, with the resulting loss of wages for employees covered up to 60% (or 67% for those households with a child) directly to the employee from the state.
During this period, employees on Kurzarbeit can benefit from continuing their education. They can choose from a suitable course and develop their skills with remote and (hopefully soon!) onsite trainings. The decision of what course an employee should do needs to be agreed upon by the employee and the employer, who then can get in touch with their Agentur für Arbeit (employment agency).
The employment agency will make the decision based on various criteria such as suitability of the employee and eligibility of the employer. If the employment agency agrees, then the full cost of the course can be covered and a Bildungsgutschein (education voucher) is given.
What happens when Kurzarbeit ends for employees? The employee can still continue the training! So long as the course takes place in the evenings and on the weekends and does not hinder their return to work, the employee can complete the course.
2. Can I upskill myself for free with a Le Wagon bootcamp?
Yes! The good news for employers and employees: all of our coding bootcamps at Le Wagon Germany are AZAV-certified.
They can therefore can be paid by the Agentur für Arbeit via a Bildungsgutschein. This means that if you are an employee on Kurzarbeit, you can take part for free!
For employees, this is an amazing opportunity to take a quantum leap in your digital skillset. You can start feeling more empowered in your everyday roles and rely less on technical support. Some examples of how types of employees can benefit from learning to code:
- Marketers can make their own page edits, build their own landing pages, make custom developments with CRMs
- Business developers can automate outreach an lead generation, and be more effective understanding technical needs of clients
- Designers can code their own designs and work directly with developers.
- Product managers can communicate more efficiently with their developers.
- Consultants or Project managers can rapidly prototype ideas using the latest design tools, and create MVPs in days not months
For employers, this is a great opportunity to create a more efficient team. When everyone has a basic level of digital skills, you can work smarter and faster, reskilling employees if necessary. You will also be able to build trust and loyalty with employees, who will appreciate the new skills.
We can't escape it: digitalization is eating the whole economy. No company can afford not to equip their employees with the right skills.
To learn more about about our bootcamps with Kurzarbeit or to ask any questions, register
here.
3. Which bootcamps you can choose from
If you or your employees are on Kurzarbeit and ready to learn some new digital skills: amazing! There are two main things for you to consider:
(1) What skill would I be suited to learn?
Web Development -
full-time and
part-time - learning the fundamentals of programming, developing a toolkit for UI/UX design, prototyping, and building digital products. No prerequisites.
Data Science -
full-time only - learning how to use Python for data analysis, understanding machine learning models, using the latest toolkit, and real data sets. Prerequisites: Minimum mathematics until 18 years old, basic knowledge of programming.
(2) How long am I likely to be on Kurzarbeit?
Our bootcamps are currently all running remotely. However, it will not stay like this forever. As restrictions are lifted, employers will need to prioritise their employees returning to work if they can afford it. This means that before you make a decision on the bootcamp, you must make an estimate of how long the employee will be on Kurzarbeit for. There are two courses:
Fully remote - part-time (24 weeks) - start date Saturday, January 9th 2021. The bootcamp takes place on Tuesday / Thursday evenings and 9am - 5pm on Saturdays. Only available for web development.
On campus - full-time (9 weeks) - start date Monday, January 11th 2021. The bootcamp takes place on Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm. Available for data science and web development. The best option for employees not returning to working for up to six months.
To learn more about about our bootcamps with Kurzarbeit or to ask any questions, register
here.
4. Remote learning: our adapted learning format
The question is: how do we make the best use of this period?
With the time and space to reflect, we have a unique opportunity to take a step back from our everyday working lives and routines and think about where the world of work will be in five, ten, twenty years. We have the chance to learn something new that will prepare us for the most in-demand of jobs of now and the future: coding.
This has been the mindset we have adopted at Le Wagon.
At the beginning of April, amidst the uncertainty and confusion caused by the crisis, just over 100 students joined Le Wagon in Berlin and Munich to embark on an adventure to change their lives and learn to code in a new
remote format.
We would be the first to admit: it was strange adapting at first. Zoom calls, remote teaching assistants, virtual tables and a series of online community games and drinks. How could it ever be the same as on-campus?
But over the past month, we have seen an amazing group of people write their first lines of code and develop their own portfolio. What's better: students have also started forming connections that will be even closer when we meet in reality. The
average day remote might sound like doom and gloom: but it's actually surprisingly flexible and freeing!
With our new batch of wonderful students we have adopted a new motto: stay home and keep growing.
5. How to apply
Berlin Campus: You can apply right
here!
Munich Campus: You can apply right
here!
Once you have applied, you will have an interview where you will have opportunity to ask additional questions about doing one of our bootcamps on Kurzarbeit.
