Faqs

The Zone01 Kisumu digital training is open to anyone over 18 years old. No prior programming experience or academic qualifications are required to apply.

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Diversity and inclusion are key elements of Zone01's mission. We therefore particularly encourage women, refugees, ethnic minorities and people from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply.

Passion – You need to have an interest in software development, combined with a strong motivation to develop your skills.

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Collaboration – It is important to be able to work as a team to complete projects and overcome obstacles.

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Creativity – You will have to be able to quickly find innovative solutions and imagine different approaches to solving complex problems.

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Perseverance – It is necessary to keep your motivation and to remain assiduous despite the increasing difficulty of the projects to be carried out.

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We're not testing your math skills — your passion, collaboration, perseverance, and creativity are much stronger indicators to gauge your ability to code.

Our curriculum is designed to be challenging/demanding and our learners should work together collaboratively, not in competition with each other.

Cognitive tests – 95 minutes online cognitive test, consisting of two games. If you pass these tests, you will be invited to participate in the Piscinel.

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The Piscine – a four-week period of immersion in software programming based on face-to-face projects. If you pass this pool, you will be invited to enroll in the Zone01 Kisumu program.

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Please note : The Piscine is an Intensive Screening Process to test your ability to learn quickly, perform intensive work, collaborate with other people and, most importantly, test your motivation.

To apply you need to create an account via Join us. Once you have created an account, you can take the cognitive tests.

Our online cognitive test, lasts just over an hour and a half, it consists of a short memory game, followed by a longer logic game.

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Memorization, problem solving and logical reasoning skills are very good indicators of your abilities to become creative digital talents!

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No development experience is needed to complete the games and you don't need to revise for it.

Once you've started the test, you can't pause or restart it. You have three attempts to complete the online tests and your best result will count, so there's no risk in trying again.

Applications are on a rolling basis. The first step is to take cognitive tests online. Check out this page - Join us to create your profile and then access the tests.

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The cognitive test results are evaluated at the latest within 2 weeks preceding each Piscine. If no pool date is announced, applications may be temporarily suspended. In this case, you can consult the site regularly to stay informed of the next Piscine dates.

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If you are contacted to participate in the Piscine and you cannot join us on the dates indicated, we suggest that you participate in a future Piscine if the dates are fixed and there are places available.

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As the number of places is limited, if you decide to participate in a Piscine it means that you know that you are fully available for the duration of the 4 weeks.

If you failed the Piscine, it is possible to retake the cognitive tests to try to be preselected again for a Piscine. However, you have to wait a year before you can apply again.

The Piscine is an intensive 4-week programming challenge that takes place on the Zone01 Kisumu campus. It is based on a unique Zone01 educational model. You will carry out different group projects during the four weeks. Every Friday, you will take a test to assess your personal progress in relation to the group work done during the week. On weekends, team projects will allow you to test your understanding and consolidate your learning from the previous week. If you are admitted to the Piscine, get ready for four very intense and extremely rewarding weeks. You will make many friends and new memories, while acquiring a complete introduction to software development.

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The Piscine, like the entire course, is based on modification. This means that you will receive a score for all the projects you complete, including individual projects and exams.

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Our scoring system evaluates your ability to learn quickly, perform intensive work, collaborate with other people and, above all, test your motivation. We also take into account your work ethic, your contribution to the collaboration and your willingness to learn during this experience throughout the 4 weeks.

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It is the Piscine that will determine whether or not you can integrate the training because this stage makes it possible to identify your motivation, your aptitude for software development and your fulfillment in this innovative educational approach.

If you are shortlisted for the pool, you will be contacted by phone or email within 2 weeks prior to the Piscine.

When you have completed the games, you will see the level you have reached for each one. If you are pre-selected after the online games, you will be contacted by phone or email to ask you to participate in the Piscine. Participation in the Piscine is the 2nd stage of selection. If you don't hear from us, it means you haven't been shortlisted because there are a lot of applications and unfortunately we cannot respond to each person when they are not selected.

We will organize several successive Piscines once we have enough qualified candidates from the games. Each Piscine lasts 4 weeks. The Piscines take place on-site face-to-face at the Zone01 Kisumu campus located at LakeHub, LakeBasin Mall in Kisumu.

Passion – You need to have an interest in software development, combined with a strong motivation to develop your skills.

Collaboration – It is important to be able to work as a team to complete projects and overcome obstacles.

‍

Creativity – You will have to be able to quickly find innovative solutions and imagine different approaches to solving complex problems.

‍

Perseverance – It is necessary to keep your motivation and to remain assiduous despite the increasing difficulty of the projects to be carried out.

‍

We're not testing your math skills — your passion, collaboration, perseverance, and creativity are much stronger indicators to gauge your ability to code. This is why we do not recruit on the basis of a studies, everyone has their place at Zone01 Kisumu whatever the course.

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Our curriculum is designed to be challenging/demanding and our learners should work together collaboratively, not in competition with each other.

No, the training offered by Zone01 Kisumu is not an e-learning training, it is a face-to-face training (on site).

You will learn through our innovative 01Edu platform – a peer-to-peer and gamified learning platform, through which thousands of people around the world have gained ready-to-use digital talents . By collaborating with other learners on group projects, as well as honing your skills individually, you will acquire a full set of skills.

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The 01Edu platform has instructions, support videos and built-in functions to teach everyone the basics of programming. The 01 community promotes the creation of collective intelligence. Study groups, chats are planned to promote support and collaborative work. Throughout your training, the Zone01 Kisumu team will be available to answer any questions you may have or provide additional support if needed.

It is possible to be absent or take a leave of absence as long as you catch up with the training. You can therefore decide when you will be absent during your first year of training. The terms of absence during the work-study period will be defined with the team.

Training is a big commitment, and it is not possible to work full time while you are training. If you want or need to work, we recommend working a maximum of 8 hours per week part-time, but this may affect the time it takes to complete the training.

The campus is equipped to allow each learner to work on a computer. It is not necessary to have a personal computer to be part of the training.

Our free education model is made possible by our partner companies, who work with us to recruit the best digital talent. In order to receive a complete training in programming and to guarantee you the best job prospects, it is essential to complete your training.

The Learner Experience team is here to support, encourage and help you thrive. They provide quality advice and guidance and can also offer learning support to help you if you live with a disability or have a learning difficulty.

Two types of support are offered to learners by Zone01: technical support and support concerning well-being:

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• Technical coaching – when learners are completely stuck on a problem, they can ask questions and our technical coaches will be available to help guide their thinking around solving complex problems without giving the full answer!
• Well-being support – resource people are available on campus to help learners feel good and deal with any difficulties they may encounter during the course.

The training is based on a highly collaborative and community-oriented pedagogical approach. About 80% of the projects in the program are done in groups, which are easier and faster to complete when you are together in the same room.

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The Zone01 Kisumu campus is accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to allow everyone to work flexibly at the times that suit them best.

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We strongly advise you to be present on campus throughout the duration of the training because it is of immense importance to be in the environment and to learn and pass on to other members of the community. It is very motivating to work and learn together, you will progress faster. In addition, we regularly organize social activities and conferences on campus to enrich your learning experience.

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This is an intensive program based on the principle of peer learning, you will have to make sure that, during group work, you are able to work at the same time as the other learners.

To offer the greatest flexibility to everyone, the campus is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Access to the campus is therefore done in such a way that you can come and go without time constraints.

The program is entirely self paced.

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This is not a pass or fail system, but rather an escalation of challenges as you progress through the training. There are 60 different projects to solve during the training and you will level up once you complete each project.

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Moreover, it is completely normal to fail a project! This is how you learn from your mistakes. Like the cognitive tests when you apply, the course is designed to train highly competent full stack developers, so the level is intentionally difficult.

During the first 18 months, learners will discover the Go, JavaScript and Rust language libraries. Each language will require 6 months of working on projects allowing learners to deepen their understanding of the language and explore additional concepts. Learners will be divided into groups so that they can work as a team on projects lasting from 1 to 12 weeks.

The training is tuition free, no registration fees, tuition fees or examination fees are required throughout the duration of the course.

There are no tuition fees and the pedagogy offered can make it possible to work part-time. However, we understand that the costs of transport, food or accommodation constitute a budget limiting the possibilities of following the training. As a result we offer monthly stipends of Ksh 10,000 to support our learners meet some of the costs. We understand that this is not enough so we encourage candidates to make the necessary arrangements to support themselves throughout the 2-year learning period.

Zone01 Kisumu offers a 2-year training program and is the start of your career as a full stack developer followed by a 3-year guaranteed job contract.

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It consists of:

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• 18 months of free training, based on the resolution of projects, which will allow you to acquire very complete skills in software development
• 12 months of work-study to deepen your skills and work on projects of partner companies.

• 6 months of professional training on projects of partner companies.
• 3 years guaranteed job contract

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You will be exposed to several programming languages. By carrying out around sixty projects, you will learn to code in Javascript, Go and Rust, as well as C, C++, Ruby-on-Rails, PHP and Python. You will be able to code in most of the programming environments.

You will finish the training with a global knowledge in any field of programming, as well as the professional experience acquired during the 1 ½ year work-study program spent working on concrete issues.

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Here are jobs available after the training:

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• In the web domain: 

Back-end developer, front-end developer, e-commerce consultant, new media specialist, SEO/SEO specialist, SEO/SEO analyst, SEO/SEO consultant, experience designer user, UI designer, web content manager, web designer, web developer, webmaster.

• In the field of Cybersecurity: 

Computer forensics specialist, cybersecurity strategist, cryptography specialist, cybercrime specialist, privacy specialist, cybersecurity administrator, security analyst.

• In Information Systems: 

Dev Ops, Database Administrator, Enterprise Architect, IT Operations Analyst, System Administrator, System Analyst, System Architect, System Engineer.

• In Networks: 

Network analyst, network engineer, telecommunications engineer, telecommunications specialist.

• In Software/Software: 

Chief Software Engineer, Quality Assurance Specialist Engineer, Software Developer, Software Update Manager, Software Tester.

• In Hardware: 

Hardware engineer, electronics engineer, interaction designer

• In the field of Artificial Intelligence: 

Algorithm developer, artificial intelligence specialist, computer visualization engineer, Machine Learning specialist.

• In the field of Data: 

Business intelligence analyst, blockchain specialist, data scientist, data analyst, EDI system analyst, statistical programmer.

• In the field of video games:

Game designer, game developer, game producer, game programmer, game tester, module designer, technical artist.

• In Graphics: 

3D animator, 3D developer, 3D modeler, character designer, AR developer, VR developer.

• Others: 

Cloud infrastructure specialist, IT trainer, professional gamer, project manager, product manager.

After spending 2 years acquiring the necessary skills to become a full-stack developer, you are guaranteed employment according to these 3 options:

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1. Work full-time in our talent agency on various freelance projects
2. Work full-time for one of our partner companies
3. Combine your own entrepreneurial project and a part-time job in our talent agency.

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At the end of your training, you do not receive a diploma or certificate because this model does not correspond to any traditional definition.

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This is not a problem in the digital sector, because companies are interested in what you can do, who you are and how you work. In addition, at the end of your training, you have a guaranteed job, which allows you to gain professional experience.