In a red-hot job market where companies are battling it out to attract software engineering talents – how does Nordea compete? By hiring a journalist, a forklift operator, a petrol station attendant and an accountant.
Sounds counter-productive, right? But it isn’t. It’s part of a novel programme to support growth and talent development in Nordea, and future-proof the company by expanding the pool of software development skills.
The programme, called Future Engineers, calls on Nordea employees and the general public to awaken their inner passion for software development and join Nordea for a year-long learning experience that will transform them into engineers.
Project Manager, Katarzyna Szczudlińska-Urban, describes it as, “a two-way street - we help people fulfil their career goals as software developers, at the same time gain skilled and passionate specialists.”
“By providing the Future Engineers with specialised trainings, buddies and placing them in real projects, it shows them how invested we are in their development and learning. It’s great to see how their passion and fresh thinking is adding value to the team and Nordea culture,” she adds.
Coding is in their blood
The first ten participants, all with various career and educational backgrounds such as journalism, accounting, military and law, have one thing in common: coding is in their blood.
Two of the participants were asked to comment on why they chose to follow their passion and re-program their career path:
