70 students filled Paf’s head office

Around 70 students stepped into Paf’s head office in Mariehamn to participate in grit:lab’s first piscine. The piscine is a four-week intensive introductory period to the education and at the same time the final step in the selection process.

The main goal of the tech education that grit:lab offers is to train 50 persons to become the much needed tech talents of the future. During the spring, the final step in the selection process is held when the piscine takes place at the grit:lab campus inside Paf’s head office.

“I’m totally blown away by the grit that the participants have shown during the first day. After a full introductory day, they all eagerly jumped on to the 01Edu learning plattform,” says Anna-Lena Svenblad, Paf’s development director & co-director for grit:lab.

During the four-week piscine, applicants will learn the basics of coding, gain an understanding of what the education will require from them and get challenged to work together in order to succeed.

“The best possible scenario and outcome for us is that we have so many good and eager participants, that it will be hard to choose who gets to start at grit:lab,” says Ludvig Winberg, Paf’s Corporate Communication Manager.

Photography and taekwondo

The participants in grit:labs first piscine came from 13 different countries, including the USA, Brazil, Singapore and Nigeria. It is a wonderful mix of people and the energy level was high during the first day.

“I like this place very much, all the people here are so helpful. This is a good chance for me to learn something, see something new and meet other people, says Minja Bejovic from Serbia.

Minja says that she has attended a college in Serbia and that taekwondo has been her great interest for the past twelve years. Another student Abdou Foon comes from Helsinki where he has been doing photography and computer repairs when he decided to apply for grit:lab.

“grit:lab has a learning system that suits me. You can study at your own pace, collaborate with others and no teachers will tell you how to do it, because you have to find out for yourself,” says Abdou Foon

“So far it has gone surprisingly well. My goal in the future is to work in the tech industry with cyber security,” adds Abdou Foon.

When four weeks have passed, the piscine ends and the next group of students arrives to participate in this spring’s second piscine, held in May. Of all participants, 50 will be offered a place in grit:lab by the autumn of 2022.