The NETCONOMY Talent Lab is a three-month traineeship program for young talents eager to learn and work in web development and get a glimpse into real-world software projects.
Every year, our trainees complete a comprehensive training program – including:
- a customized set of trainings
- hands-on workshops
- mentoring from our experienced colleagues
The Talent Lab aims to build technology-related knowledge and equip trainees with specific skill sets that will benefit them in their future careers. Colleagues from different departments designed the program, including our in-house training academy (NETCADEMY). By building this as a collaboration, we ensure that the program is an excellent mix of theory and practice.
A dedicated team of technical trainers with experience in software engineering takes care of all learning processes of the trainees – from onboarding to further development. They also run an internal knowledge base that participants can use, such as an online library with content on the technical topics that trainees study.
While the technical trainers guide the participants through the content, the assigned mentors act as the go-to person for any possible questions during the entire program. In addition, through regular one-on-one meetings, mentors track the progress of given tasks and provide trainees with feedback about their performance.
How Does It Work?
The traineeship is designed for students or recent graduates in IT, Business Informatics, or Business Administration with an IT focus. Participants learn what it’s like to work at NETCONOMY and go through a tailored program, depending on their chosen area:
The trainees start the program together and spend the first week getting to know each other and the company, becoming familiar with our teams, projects, and way of working. After that, the trainees focus on their area-specific learning programs:
- Backend and frontend trainees start with a Git training, followed by modern technologies and frameworks. For backend trainees, this includes Spring, SAP Commerce and deployment overviews for backend trainees; while fronted developers go through React, Redux, and other relevant technologies.
- SDQA trainees are introduced to quality assurance of software after completing their Git training. Afterwards, they go through a Commerce Bootcamp and “shadow” more experienced colleagues in our projects.
- Scrum trainees learn the basics of agile methods and the SCRUM framework, after which it’s their turn to “shadow” more experienced colleagues.
In the last four weeks of the program, all trainees undergo a project simulation made from two sprints and learn to collaborate as part of one SCRUM team. There, the trainees can apply the knowledge they gained during two months of training and assignments, in a protected learning environment.
Throughout the program, we organize regular check-ins with our HR team and the assigned mentors. This ensures that trainees get regular feedback, and the best possible support to help them reach their full potential.
Kristina participated in the NETCONOMY Talent Lab 2021 and has since joined our team as a Backend Engineer. This is what she says about her experience with the traineeship program:
The Selection Process
Our ideal candidates are students or recent graduates, which is why we have adapted our selection process to suit them:
- Online application
Candidates can upload their CVs online and choose the role they are most interested in. The application deadline as well as the candidate selection period are adjusted to the examination deadlines of their faculties.
- First-round interview
During a 30-minute interview our recruiter and the candidate get to know each other and discuss his or her career preferences, previous experience, and education. We know that for many of our candidates this is the first time they are going through application process. Therefore, we have simplified our interview questions and focus on the candidate’s eagerness to learn and grow with us.
- Technical Task
Next, candidates work on a technical task that challenges their programming skills and solution orientation. Throughout the task, the trainees are accompanied by mentors that help them with any questions or clarifications about the task.
- Solution Presentation
After the task is completed, candidates present their solutions to their technical lead at our office in Belgrade and Novi Sad.
As you can see, the first three steps are done remotely, and we invite the trainees to our office in Belgrade or Novi Sad for the fourth.
If both the candidate and we think we are a match, there’s nothing else standing in their way to hop on board!
Proud Winner of the ‘Best Traineeship’ Award at Empple Employer Branding Festival
The quality of our Talent Lab was also recognized at the Empple employer branding festival, organized in Serbia. There, it won the award in the ‘Best traineeship’ category for 2022. We are especially proud as, according to the organizers, this is one of the most competitive of the nine festival categories.
The judging panel looked not only at the content of the traineeship but also the way in which our employees participated in the program, how we adjusted the traineeship to best suit the target audience (in this case students and recent graduates) as well as the long-term impact both for NETCONOMY and the participants’ future careers.
Our Talent Lab at a Glance
- 3-month traineeship in Belgrade and Novi Sad, full-time and paid
- On-site encouraged with possibilities for home office
- A mixture of lectures by experienced colleagues, practical insights into projects and self-study time
- Full integration into the team from day one, participation in team building events and company gatherings
- Chance of a permanent job after completion of the program
Luka is one of our Software Development Leads and is involved in organizing the program every year:
We’ve found that our NETCONOMY Talent Lab is a great way to shape future experts from scratch. As our goal is to keep the trainees in the company on a long-term basis, both sides benefit from this initiative. By growing with us from the beginning of their career, the participants truly accept and apply our values further on in their everyday work.
This is also reflected in numbers – in the last iteration, fifteen out of sixteen trainees joined our team permanently. With the skillset that is built up in the Talent Lab, the trainees are best prepared not only to start their career with us, but also to climb the corporate ladder quickly.
We are always excited to support young talented people in their desire to learn, and this proved to be a great way to do that.
You Are Eager to Learn and Grow?
Great, we are looking forward to receiving your application! Usually, you can apply for our Talent Lab every year starting in May. To stay up to date on next year’s application deadline, feel free to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn where we will inform you as soon as the application is open again!
If you have any questions about the program or other open positions in the meantime, we are happy if you contact us.
NETCONOMY Talent Lab 2022
