When it comes to opening doors to deep tech careers, EIT Deep Tech Talent Initiative Pledger, Generation, has proven that opportunity should have no barriers. Recently named as one of the Initiative’s Trainers of the Year in the category NGO/Association at the EIT Education and Skills Day event, Generation has been recognised for its unwavering commitment to inclusivity, innovation, and long-term impact in deep tech education.
Minh Huy Lai, Europe COO at Generation, said:
“We strongly believe that deep tech careers should be accessible to all regardless of prior experience or diploma, as long as one is motivated to learn and persevere even when things get tough.”
The impact of Generation’s programmes is already visible in communities and individuals who have gained not only technical skills but also confidence and economic mobility.
Success stories
Generation Ireland
Rexline joined Generation Ireland’s AWS re/Start bootcamp in 2023, looking for a structured route back into tech — and found far more than she expected.
“The bootcamp helped me build real, hands-on experience with cloud technologies. I was excited to learn AWS from the ground up, it was new territory for me, but the structured learning and support from the team helped me grow in confidence. Python was also new to me, but I soon became comfortable using it to automate workflows.”
Shortly after completing the programme, she secured a contract role at Marsh McLennan in Dublin working as a Disaster Recovery Analyst.
Generation Italy
Valentina described her experience with Generation Italy as a paradox because it all began with the intention of supporting her sister, who was truly passionate about IT, in finding a job. Valentina hadn’t even considered working in the sector because her educational background was completely the opposite and had nothing to do with logic, mathematics, or coding.
However, seeing her sister become more enthusiastic and engrossed in the learning process with Generation, convinced Valentina that she could do it too, so she signed up to the Java Developer course in Naples.
“I would recommend it to everyone. It’s not just the training programme that’s well-crafted, it’s the sense of belonging it creates in the classroom, where everyone helps everyone. The teachers are always there for any clarification; the staff are available and provide comprehensive support in finding a job. I would especially recommend it to those, like me, who are new to computer science. It’s like going to elementary school all over again, except it’s elementary school for coding, and let’s face it, you can graduate from elementary school!”
Generation Spain
Christian graduated with a degree in Political Science and Administration, but knew he needed to shift his career focus toward technology, and a university classmate recommended training with Generation Spain.
The Cloud Administrator course helped him specialise and understand what the role entailed, and he learned all the practical aspects of using the portal and all its facets: virtual machines, active directory, storage, etc. After completing the course, Christian was fortunate enough to receive a job offer.
“Although it’s not specific to the role, I work in the IT sector, and without the certification obtained through the Generation Spain training, this wouldn’t have been possible.”
Generation UK
Before joining Generation UK, Bruce was unemployed and working as a full-time carer. With little support and a lack of qualifications, he struggled to break into a career in tech.
Bruce enrolled onto Generation’s IT Support bootcamp in Scotland, where he got the structured environment he needed to develop both his skills and confidence to thrive in a role in tech. Alongside the technical skills, the course helped Bruce develop soft skills like communication and collaboration, which are hard to pick up through self-learning.
“As a neurodivergent learner, I tend to absorb material deeply and intensely, so it was sometimes hard to keep up with the pace or to learn in sync with others who had different learning styles. But Generation introduced me to a supportive community, which I’d never really had before in my career journey.”
Straight after graduating, Bruce secured a role as a Junior Test Engineer, and has since been promoted to Quality Engineer. And this has had a huge impact on his life. He has achieved financial stability and is able to plan for the future.
These stories reflect the Generation approach: training is just the beginning. Real transformation comes from connecting learners to employers, supporting their career growth, and tracking progress well beyond graduation.
“Connecting learners with employers and supporting their employability is key to creating long-term impact.”
Additionally, Generation outlined how tracking students’ progress beyond graduation and employment start, helps them to understand students’ long-term career progress, economic mobility and also indicates how to adjust the Generation programmes to maximise impact over time.
Looking ahead, Generation is turning its attention to the future of learning. In the short-term, Generation is planning to introduce curated AI content into all of their programmes and is experimenting with various AI-enabled tools to enhance teaching and learning, as well as boosting employer engagement and job matching productivity. They are accelerating curriculum upgrades to ensure continued market relevance and credibility.
On a wider scale, given the growing economic uncertainty, Generation is working hard to become even more agile as an organisation to strengthen its resilient to any market-induced shocks and shakedowns in the future.
Partners
