EDTECH WILL BE THRIVING IN TIMES OF PANDEMIC

The coronavirus has forced a large part of society to organize their lives anew - both in the private and professional sphere. The Internet has become an antidote to isolation. Right now, most of the human activity is shifting towards online - from work, through shopping, to entertainment. Many of us also successfully use the period of home quarantine to improve our skills by taking part in online training. This creates an opportunity for companies in the EdTech (Educational Technology) sector, which use new technologies to enable their customers to learn effectively. Among them is Coders Lab, the largest IT school in Poland, which is the only one in the domestic market and one of a few globally to offer both full-time and virtual classroom courses.

"We introduced online courses to our offer over a year ago. However, due to the current state of epidemiological threat, we decided to move all our classes to remote mode. The students meet with their lecturers in a virtual classroom format and rework the same range of material as in a traditional, stationary course. The tools that we use at Coders Lab allow free access to presentations and exercises, and also make it easier to learn on your own," explains Marcin Tchórzewski, CEO of Coders Lab.

According to forecasts, the value of the global EdTech market in 2020 will exceed USD 250 billion. Chances are that the pandemic will even give the industry an additional impulse for growth. According to Marcin Tchórzewski, the current situation may give rise to opportunities for educational companies. However, not all of them will be able to use them.

- Making online training available on a large scale is a big technological and organizational challenge, which requires appropriate preparation. At Coders Lab, we have had appropriate solutions developed before and this know-how pays off today. We managed to transfer all our 30 courses to the Internet in less than 48 hours! At a time when other schools are stopping their training, we are able to offer a high quality educational offer in remote mode - says Marcin Tchórzewski.

Improving one's digital skills and learning how to code seems to be a doubly good idea these days. On the one hand, it allows us to spend time productively, which, for epidemiological reasons, we cannot use for our favorite outside activities. On the other hand, it also allows us to gain qualifications which may prove extremely valuable in the post-crisis market landscape. No one knows how long the economic turmoil caused by the coronavirus will last and how much damage it will cause to the labor market. The profession of a programmer, however, cannot complain about the lack of demand from employers even during the slowdown. In addition, that kind of job is exceptionally compatible with the remote mode of work. The latter advantage has become particularly important today.

Coders Lab is the largest IT school in Poland. Since its establishment in 2013, it has educated over 5,000 junior programmers, testers and Digital UX specialists. More than 80% of Coders Lab graduates found their first job in IT within the first three months after completing the course. The brand is present in Poland, Romania, and Indonesia and offers franchise licenses for running a coding school.