18.02.2021
PostFinance aims to play a decisive role in shaping Switzerland’s digital transformation, and promoting young talent is a key part of this. On example is with the IT Challenge for the Future, which runs until 31 March 2021. What else is needed? Pioneers who use their know-how to support the next generation.
Switzerland needs pioneers who will innovate, drive forward digital transformation and reinvent the future — today as well as tomorrow. In order to promote young talent, PostFinance has launched a challenge — to transform today’s pioneers into the promoters of tomorrow’s IT specialists.
And this is how it works: participants of the IT Challenge for the Future find a solution to a challenging task and have the opportunity to use their know-how to support an organization with CHF 10,000 , which in turn will promote young talent through specific projects. These three institutions are available to contribute to the winning entry:
Since 2020, the Digital Self-Defense Foundation has been encouraging people to navigate our digitally shaped world in a safe, self-determined and risk-aware manner, as well as to participate in shaping our digital present and future in a diversified and well-thought out manner. Through its current focus project, “be[a]ware,” the organization offers modular, gamified security and privacy awareness events for adults and young people. Participants are empowered to deal with the relevant risks in their everyday professional and private lives In a playful and sustainable way. The events are intended to be deployed in a targeted way in companies and educational institutions. The special thing about it is that participants can interactively take on the role of hackers during the event and thereby build up essential knowledge and skills in dealing with relevant threats — without lengthy handouts or long-winded explanations. The prize money from the IT Challenge would be used for the development or advancement of one or two be[a]ware modules.
The Educreators Foundation, founded in 2017, is an interdisciplinary community with a mission to support profound change in education. Based on research and through participatory design in innovation, it contributes to the development and support of teaching and educational networks in Switzerland and internationally. The prize money would be used to further develop the “Square” project, an open educational initiative for computational thinking in kindergartens, elementary school and high schools.
Powercoders is a programming school for IT-savvy refugees that gives participants direct access to the primary employment market. Currently, there are over 100,000 refugees in Switzerland, according to Powercoders. At the same time, there will be a shortfall of over 100,000 IT specialists by 2028. Powercoders combines these two challenges into one solution: a programming school for people from refugee or immigrant backgrounds. They are trained in a three-month intensive coding course and integrated into the business world through an internship. With the prize money, two people could benefit from a Powercoders course.
The winners of the IT Challenge 2021 will also receive VR glasses.
As a financial institution that aims to play a decisive role in shaping Switzerland’s digital transformation, PostFinance is continuously working with its pioneers on innovations and continuing development. And this goes beyond banking. The company offers an attractive sphere of activity, especially for IT specialists. Because here, those shaping our future — both young and experienced — have the opportunity to work with new technologies and do pioneering work. It goes without saying that PostFinance attaches great importance to further training: thanks to courses, events and training sessions, as well as internal discussion groups, employees can progress both individually and as a team.
