IT Talent Development Program

The program runs through 4 sequential cohorts over two years — 2 cohorts per year. A new cohort launches every 6 months.

A cohort is the overall group of participants in a single program launch. A group is an individual class within a specific specialization track. Within one cohort, 5 groups run in parallel across different specializations.

Results per cohort:

Enrolling 600 participants at the start builds in a buffer against the target outcome of 500 trained specialists, accounting for attrition during the 4-month training. After each cohort, roughly 50 top-performing participants are selected for the internship — this is an additional, strengthening stage, not a mandatory condition for all 500 graduates.

The actual starting size of a group may be set higher than the target of 30 — for example, up to 45 — with a checkpoint after roughly two weeks of training to screen out participants with poor attendance or weak grasp of the material; the exact starting group size is left to StrategEast’s discretion based on how each cohort’s intake performs.

The program is built around concrete career tracks rather than individual programming languages. Catalog of specializations:

• Backend Development — Java / .NET / Python
• Frontend Development — JavaScript / TypeScript / React / Angular
• Full-Stack Development
• Mobile Development — iOS / Android
• Data Engineering / Data Analytics
• DevOps / Cloud Engineering
• Cybersecurity

Example of a Phased Track Rollout

The final choice of tracks and their priority is up to the client — StrategEast adapts the set of tracks to specific needs. Below is an illustrative example of how tracks could be distributed across cohorts:

• Cohort 1 (5 groups): Python — 1 group, Java — 1 group, Frontend — 1 group, Data Engineering — 1 group, DevOps — 1 group
• Cohort 2 (5 groups): a different set of skills — for example, .NET, Full-Stack, Cybersecurity, Mobile (iOS/Android), Cloud Engineering
• Cohorts 3–4: the set of tracks is adjusted based on the results of the first two cohorts and actual labor market demand

AI is not offered as a separate, standalone track. It is integrated into every professional track as a mandatory part of a specialist’s preparation.

Participants first acquire fundamental knowledge in their chosen direction — Backend, Frontend, Data, DevOps, Cybersecurity, and so on. Once they have mastered the basic principles, they move on to applying AI directly to tasks within their specialization.

The training follows this progression

Professional foundation → AI tools within the specialization → applying AI to practical tasks and projects.

The core purpose of the AI module is not simply to teach participants to use AI tools, but to build a deliberate, controlled approach to using them. Participants need to understand where AI speeds up the work, how to frame tasks correctly, how to verify the output, and why AI-generated output cannot be used without the engineer’s own technical validation.

In the practical part of the program, participants use AI as a working tool, while still being expected to understand the resulting solution, verify its quality, fix errors, and maintain the result independently.

As a result, a graduate does not come away with a standalone “AI skill” — they learn to use AI as a natural part of modern professional practice within their specialization.

On completing the program, a participant can receive several independent certificates confirming different levels of preparation:

• A StrategEast / Sigma Software University certificate for completing Core IT Training
• An internship completion certificate — for participants selected for the internship
• A local certificate from a partner organization [local partner name to be confirmed per country]
• An international vendor certification — optional, depending on the track

International Certifications by Track (reference for selection)

As a result, a participant finishes the program with more than one credential — a program completion certificate, a local partner certificate, and, where applicable, an international vendor certification.

The program is preceded by a joint marketing campaign with a local partner organization: local communication channels, social media, the education community, local universities, and the partner networks of StrategEast and the local partner.

Selection Funnel

• Promotion — informing potential participants
• Online Application — registration through the Sigma Software University infrastructure
• English Assessment — a basic check of English proficiency
• Computer Science Assessment — a check of basic understanding of computer science and digital fundamentals
• Motivation Assessment — a motivation letter and application questions
• Selection — forming the final list of participants based on the results of all stages
• Enrollment — admission into the program

Candidates who already have a minimal technical foundation and can move faster into professional training are given preference during selection. English is necessary for working with code, technical documentation, development tools, and future work in an international IT environment — so a basic English check remains part of selection regardless of the language of instruction.

The Motivation Assessment is conducted through a motivation letter and application questions, without a mandatory individual interview for every candidate. The simple act of registering independently, completing the application in full, and consistently going through every assessment stage is itself an early indicator of a candidate’s motivation and ability to see the program through to the end.

Core IT Training is an intensive program, and part of the initial intake naturally does not make it to graduation. Planning is therefore based not on the number enrolled, but on the target number of graduates, accounting for attrition at each stage.

As an example, one possible version of the recruitment and completion funnel could look like this:

The logic behind this example funnel: not every application passes the entry assessments (English, CS, motivation) — roughly half the pool is filtered out at this stage. Of those who pass selection, not everyone confirms participation and makes it to the start of training. Within the intensive 4-month program, there is further attrition — some participants cannot keep up with the pace or disengage over time.

The program’s target KPI is at least 500 participants who successfully complete Core IT Training. This is the program’s main, and only, formal outcome.

In Addition: the Internship

After each cohort, based on training results, roughly 50 top-performing participants are selected — those who scored best on the assessments. Across the whole program, this amounts to roughly 200 people. The internship is not part of the mandatory outcome for all 500 participants — it is an additional stage that strengthens outcomes for the best of them.

Training duration per participant is 4 months. This is a self-contained, complete cycle: on completion, the participant has the knowledge and practical foundation needed for a Junior-level role. The internship (Section 9) is a separate, additional stage available not to all participants, but to the best performers.

Core IT Training (4 months)

• A learning platform and structured course materials
• Independent work with materials between sessions
• Live sessions with a practicing engineer — twice a week, 1.5 hours each
• Practical assignments and exercises
• Interim assessments
• A final evaluation of training results

The primary training format is online, with access through the learning platform regardless of the participant’s location.

After completing Core IT Training, roughly 50 top-performing participants per cohort (about 200 across the whole program) are selected, based on training results, for a two-month internship. This is not a mandatory stage of the program but an enhancement to it: it gives the best participants additional practical experience and increases their competitiveness in the labor market.

Work is organized in small teams — from 5 to 10 people, depending on the specialization and the specific project. The format of the practical stage may include:

• An internship with a technology partner
• Work on a real internal project
• A production-like project, closely mirroring the structure of real development work
• A team pet-project based on a real business case

Regardless of format, participants work as close as possible to a normal software development process: distributing roles and tasks, using Git, code review, teamwork, working with requirements, development, testing, and presenting the result.

The practical stage gives participants experience in a format that closely resembles a professional development environment; it is not equivalent to commercial experience unless the participant works directly on a commercial project, and it does not come with a guarantee of employment.

The program is managed through the Sigma Software University infrastructure: applications, cohort management, participant communication, testing, and progress tracking. A platform demonstration link will be provided separately.

The program calls for systematic monitoring at every stage — from the first application through graduation — rather than evaluating results only at the end of the cycle.

What Is Tracked

• Application funnel
• Enrollment
• Attendance
• Completion of training modules
• Completion of practical assignments
• Assessment results
• Each participant’s interim progress
• Dropout, with the stage at which it occurred
• Completion rate by group and cohort
• Selection for, and completion of, the internship
• Certification

A platform demonstration link – https://university.sigma.software/en/

Definition of Done — Graduate Criteria

A participant is considered to have successfully completed the program (counted among the target 500) if they: complete all required training modules with a passing assessment result; meet the minimum attendance threshold for live sessions; and complete all required practical assignments. The additional status — selection for the internship — is awarded to the best performers based on these same criteria.

Each participant can easily track their own progress through clear, intuitive visuals on the platform. Trainers also have access to all relevant information, including participant progress and performance.

Training is delivered by practicing Senior / Lead / Staff Engineers with current, hands-on commercial experience — not academic instructors without industry experience.

For each track, the program includes a trainer profile structured as follows:

• Specialization
• Seniority (Senior / Lead / Staff)
• Years of commercial experience
• Companies and projects
• Certifications
• Relevant expertise for the track

Example Trainers (full profiles in the appendix)

Data Science / Data Architecture — Andrii Salata

• Principal Data Scientist / Data Architect, Sigma Software
• 15+ years of experience in IT, 7+ years specifically in Data Science
• Industries: corporate finance, stock markets, pharmaceuticals, medical technology
• 10+ years of mentoring experience, specializing in Data Science
• Certifications: Microsoft Certified Data Science Associate, Microsoft Certified Data Analyst Associate
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrij-salata/

DevOps — Vladyslav Gram

• Lead DevOps Strategy Advisor, Ciklum (since 2022); previously Head of DevOps, Ciklum (2017–2022)
• 10+ years in DevOps/Cloud at Ciklum; previously Microsoft DevOps Engineer and Microsoft Technologies Consultant/Specialist
• A distinct teaching track: Senior Instructor-Consultant and Head of the Microsoft Learning Group (5+ years teaching and developing training programs on Microsoft technologies)
• Education: Master’s in Computer Science, National Technical University of Ukraine “Kyiv Polytechnic Institute”
• 11 professional certifications, including Microsoft Certified IT Professional (Enterprise Messaging Administrator)
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vladyslav-gram/

Data Analytics — profile to be confirmed

Training is delivered in Russian. English nonetheless remains a mandatory part of selection and preparation, since it is required for technical documentation, development tools, and future work in an international IT environment.

This document answers one practical question: how, over two years, to recruit, train, and prepare at least 500 specialists capable of competing for junior-level IT positions.

The answer rests on five elements: a broad outreach and selection funnel with a realistic account of attrition at every stage; a sequential model of four cohorts of 5 groups each; a self-contained 4-month training cycle sufficient to reach Junior level; an additional internship for top performers that strengthens their practical experience and employability without promising employment; and multi-layered certification through StrategEast, Sigma Software University, a local partner organization, and, where applicable, international vendors.