Amsterdam is widely known for its vibrant tech scene which has been growing steadily in recent years.
However, finding the right talent to grow your business can be challenging, especially if you are looking to build a diverse team.
Well, are you a fast-growing company looking to diversify your talent pool and connect with top-notch software and data engineers?
If so, we have just the event for you!
Tech Talent Speed-dating
The City of Amsterdam, TOMAS, and some of the city’s top tech academies have teamed up to organise a unique speed-dating hiring event – Tech Talent Speed-dating.
The event offers a unique opportunity for companies to connect with 50 recently graduated or soon-to-be graduating engineers from some of the top tech academies in the region.
Bit Academy, Codam, Le Wagon, SALT, and Techgrounds have collectively (re)trained over 2000 individuals, who have since entered the IT job market as junior professionals.
For the first time, these leading tech academies are joining forces to enhance the visibility and employability of their students and alumni.
This not only benefits the graduates, but also creates a chance for companies to learn about the competitive advantages and unique propositions of each academy, potentially making them a regular source for their talent pipelines.
The impact of this event goes beyond just connecting companies with talented graduates. It also aims to create greater opportunities and recognition for ambitious individuals working towards a tech career, regardless of their ethnic, socioeconomic, or educational backgrounds.
Don’t miss out on this unique chance to connect with top talent from leading tech academies and help promote diversity and inclusion in the tech industry.
Bridging tech academies, companies, and students
TOMAS (Talent Ontwikkeling, Match, and Select.) is an initiative of StartupAmsterdam, the Amsterdam Economic Board, Metropool Regio Amsterdam, HvA-Digital Society School, and the municipality.
TOMAS is a B2B platform and offline community which makes the talent development ecosystem visible and accessible for businesses, initiatives, and governments.
TOMAS provides an easy-to-use platform that offers a comprehensive overview of all the talent initiatives in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area, from Haarlem to Hilversum and from Uitgeest to Uithoorn.
Besides the mapping tool, TOMAS organises matchmaking events on a regular basis to strengthen the collaboration between education and the labor market.
Igneta Skliaustyte, co-founding partner and manager TOMAS, says, “TOMAS is once again the ‘glue’ between tech academies, their students, and companies. 5 rather different academies are driven by the same goal – increase recognition and employment opportunities for their students. This would not be possible without a shared effort. I am very pleased to see the excitement and willingness to collaborate. Special thanks to Codam’s team who is contributing their time and resources.”
Meet the academies
Codam College
Codam is a peer-to-peer coding school in the Netherlands dedicated to educating the next generation of software engineers.
The platform offers an accessible model that educates a diverse group of people in an effective and scalable way.
Codam understands that one organisation cannot bridge the talent and diversity gap we are experiencing in Amsterdam, and that it should be a community effort where tech academies, municipalities, and businesses unite forces to spark collaborations and recruitment.
That’s why Codam is partnering with TOMAS to provide a venue for non-traditional academies and tech companies to meet and discover their next hire.
Victoria Ous, Codam Partnerships & Talent Lead, says, “When the fight for tech talent is fierce, you need to engage with and secure your software engineers early on. That’s why companies and educators need to work hand-in-hand in providing the right knowledge and mindset in preparing the talent for the current needs in the market. Only together can we educate the next generation of software engineers. It’s a community effort!”
Le Wagon
Le Wagon is a tech training provider that offers full-time, in-person, and online bootcamps in Web Development, Data Science, and Data Analytics.
Angela López, marketing and events manager, says, “Le Wagon’s mission is to help individuals and organisations access new opportunities through tech skills and community. The platform’s alumni come from different walks of life, and after 9 weeks of our immersive course, they have acquired the most in-demand tech skills and are ready to launch their careers in tech. By taking part in the event, we are enhancing our talented alumni’s visibility and therefore, increasing their opportunities to land their dream job in tech.”
Bit Academy
Bit Academy offers cutting-edge courses and training programmes to help people develop essential tech skills.
With a strong focus on peer-to-peer education, learning by doing, and autonomy, the platform provides an immersive educational experience that prepares students for real-world challenges.
Nadine Lenten, part of the team, says, “At Bit Academy, our mission is to empower the next generation of tech talent by providing hands-on, industry-relevant education. We’re excited to join this event alongside other top academies to showcase our talented students and demonstrate the value of our unique approach to education. Companies can expect to meet motivated and skilled individuals who are ready to contribute to their teams and drive innovation in the tech industry.”
Techgrounds
Techgrounds opens up tech entrepreneurship and digital skills to vulnerable communities and neighbourhoods so that tech can be for everyone.
Unemployed (or underemployed) people from the area can train here to become a coder, develop tech skills, be trained to become a Junior AWS Cloud Operator, and establish their own (tech) business idea.
Effie van Betten, talent manager, says, “The Techgrounds courses activate hidden IT talent, with a focus on diversity. We remove barriers so everyone can get started in IT and the best news? It’s always free for participants! Participants are selected on HBO work and thinking level, motivation, and learning ability, to then be matched to the right employers.”
“In this way, we solve the mismatch in the IT labour market and contribute to diversity in IT teams. We are participating in this event because we are excited to introduce our talent in Automation Testing and Cloud Engineering to the right employers and to meet employers that are open to meeting our talent.”
SALT (School of Applied Technology)
SALT was founded with a mission to train new technology professionals to strengthen the European talent pool. The platform offers accelerated career programmes to full-stack developers.
Since its inception, SALT has trained over 450 full-stack developers and helped over 100 clients successfully expand their development teams.
SALT not only trains people on accelerated learning to become full-stack developers but also helps them find a fully paid job after completing their course.
John Hoogland, Sales & Partnership Manager Netherlands, says, “The mission of SALT is to train professional developers into top-tier consultants to help fill the gap in the tech industry. We’re founded in 2018 in Stockholm and expanded to Amsterdam and Oslo 1 year ago. We have the intention to have 3 rounds of 13-week boot camps to train people to become a Full Stack Developer in either Java, JavaScript, or .NET.”
“We only choose top-tier candidates who have both soft- and hard skills. They have been working in small project teams and are ready and excited to be part of the tech world. Also, we promote diversity as much as possible within the company in any way possible.”
“We want to showcase our talent pool, gain more exposure and see if there is a good match between our developers and tech-related companies.”
Calling all tech companies! Here’s why you should attend
Are you looking to pitch your company to aspiring software and data engineers? Look no further than this unique opportunity to connect with 50 students and alumni who are matched beforehand.
With four cosy sessions of 3-4 students per session, you’ll have the chance to showcase your company and learn about potential candidates in a relaxed and engaging environment.
But this isn’t just any recruiting event. It’s an opportunity to turn your diversity, equity, and inclusion intentions into action. By connecting with a diverse group of students and alumni, you’ll be taking steps toward building a more inclusive workforce.
In addition to networking with potential candidates, you’ll also have the chance to learn about the unique propositions of five educators, who can help you further develop your hiring pipeline.
This event is the perfect opportunity for companies looking to expand their talent pool and build a more diverse, skilled, and inclusive workforce.
Eligibility criteria
Are you looking to take the first step toward building a stronger, more inclusive team?
Before you dive in, there are a few key criteria that your company must meet to participate in this unique opportunity.
First, your company must have open vacancies for internship, traineeship, and/or full-time roles, either immediately or within the next three months.
Secondly, you must allocate at least one recruiter to be present during pitching and speed-dating rounds. Technical knowledge is a must as you’ll be connecting with aspiring software and data engineers.
Third, your company must be located in the Amsterdam Metropolitan Area to participate. This is to ensure that the event is accessible and relevant to students and alumni in the area.
Finally, to participate, you must submit a comprehensive application form via Eventbrite. This ensures that we can match you with the right candidates and provide the best possible experience for all participants.
By meeting these criteria, you’ll have the opportunity to connect with a diverse group of talented, motivated students and alumni who are eager to launch their careers in the tech industry.
Event details:
When: May 25th, 2023 | 14:00 – 17:00 CEST
Where: Marineterrein, 5 Kattenburgerstraat, Gebouw 039, 1018 JA Amsterdam
13:30-14:00 Walk-in
14:00-14:10 Opening remarks TOMAS
14:10-14:30 Pitches Academies
14:30-15:00 Pitches Companies
15:00-15:15 Break
15:15-15:35 Free Style Round 1
15:35-15:40 Switch
15:40-16:00 Speed-dating Round 2
16:00-16:05 Switch
16:05-16:25 Speed-dating Round 3
16:25-16:30 Switch
16:30-16:50 Speed-dating Round 4
16.50-17.00 Closing words
17:00-18:00 Networking & drinks @Kanteen25
The deadline is quickly approaching for companies interested in participating in this unique event.
May 12 is the final date to submit your application, so don’t wait any longer to take advantage of this opportunity.
Register here now to participate in this unique event
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