What is the Cardo Kickstart Training Program?
If you just finished your studies and you’re looking for a challenging first job opportunity, Cardo Kickstart, our training program for recent graduates, might be just the right fit for you.
Keep reading to find out more about the program!
What is the Cardo Kickstart Training Program?
Cardo Kickstart is an initiative with the objective of helping recent graduates transition to the job market in Tirana. This is a chance to build your network, work with senior professionals and make an impact in the fintech world.
We know how difficult it can be to move your first steps in the job industry after years of studying. Oftentimes, after university and school, we still don’t feel prepared to enter the workforce. There can be a lot of confusion on how to find the first job. Especially when most companies require experienced graduates even for entry-level positions.
At Cardo AI, we want to make sure that all students have an opportunity to explore different career paths and experiment with what it is like to work in a company. We also want to guarantee a seamless transition into the job market, and that is why we decided to create our own training program.
“Even after 7 years of work experience I still freshly remember my post-graduation period: the chase, the anxiety, the doubts, the desire, and hope were all mixed in a bag. Loads of applications but very few opportunities to experience the value proposition of an organization from up close. Kick-starting a professional career is a very important step and the means to do so are not always readily available nor able to respond to the dynamic interaction required by the participants. To this end, we are coming back again this year with Cardo Kickstart to give recent graduates from software engineering, data science, or any other related subject a super-inclusive first professional interaction.”
Rubin Haxhiymeri – Product Delivery and Growth Lead
How does the program work like?
Apply as soon as you can!
The application process is very easy: you just need to send an email to ardita.puma@cardoai.com with a brief presentation of yourself.
Once your application is received and accepted by us, you will receive a confirmation for the 2-month training program which starts December 1st, 2021.
Your first month at Cardo Kickstart
During the first month, you will learn about the different technologies we use at Cardo AI. This means you will be able to study the theoretical knowledge for each technology. But not only that, as you will get hands-on practice with the help of our senior developers. Django, ReactJS, and .NET. are some of the technologies you will be able to practice.
Your second month at Cardo Kickstart
Once you understand what technology you want to use to further develop your practical knowledge you will be given the chance to develop your own Project. Of course, during the project, our seniors will help when needed.
The end of the training program
You will have the chance to present your personal project to the senior management at Cardo AI. The winning projects will receive a payment for the 2 month period and will also receive an offer for a 3-month paid Internship with us.
At the end of the internship, the best talents will be offered full-time employment with Cardo AI!
What are the application deadlines?
Here are the main deadlines to keep in mind:
- In order to participate, you need to apply within the 15th of November, 2021.
- The program starts December 1st, 2021
Why you should apply to the Cardo Kickstart Training Program
So what’s in it for you? Here are some of the benefits of joining the program:
- Get real-world experience and acquire technical skills
- Be part of an international team
- Learn from your peers and mentors
- Work to deliver world-leading technology to the financial markets
- Generate value by actively contributing to the projects
“Being a recent graduate entering the world of work means facing an important choice for your future!
I have been there as well and I am happy to be able to help the software engineers of the future! Unfortunately, there are too many jobs offers around that make enthusiastic and willing people waste time.
In Cardo, you have the opportunity to follow the process of creating a product from idea to realization and to become a well-rounded engineer.
All we ask for is passion, desire to learn, and proactivity.
In addition to the technical side, at Cardo we have a series of human and professional values that we want to convey to young people. Communication, transparency, team work and self growth are some of the key values that our HR team as well as each person in Cardo is committed to spread and work by every day.“
Ana Kuqali – Former Talent & Culture Manager
The experience of last year’s participants to the training program
As we mentioned, with Cardo Kickstart you will have the chance to win a full-time paid internship with us, and hopefully, join the company as a permanent employee.
The winners of the first edition of the program have, later on, been hired by Cardo AI and joined our team. Always according to their career path of choice.
Foti’s progress with Data Science at Cardo AI
Foti graduated from the University of Tirana back in 2020, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science. He decided to join Cardo Kickstart to put into practice what he learned in school and gain some real-world experience.
“Learning is one thing, but taking those skills into the workforce and applying them is a great way to explore different career paths and specializations that suit individual interests. Not many companies follow this strategy of recruiting and training young people, something that makes Cardo unique.“
At the end of the program, Foti won a full-time internship with Cardo AI. This experience allowed him to train his skills and get exposed to specific areas he could improve and work on more.
“During the internship, I better defined my career goals and how to best achieve them.
I also built my network and interactions with company professionals, something that will be very beneficial for my future work life.“
By the end of the internship, Foti found himself very happy with the progress he had made. Moreover, he was excited to further improve his skills by starting a full-time position as Data Scientist in Cardo.
“This is a great opportunity for everyone to challenge themselves and strive to achieve excellence.“
Lisbora’s journey into Software Engineering
Lisbora, another winner of last year’s edition of Cardo Kickstart, graduated in 2020 from Epoka University in Business Informatics.
Attending Cardo’s training program gave her the chance to deepen her knowledge and explore different subjects. At the end of the program, she became a junior software engineer and joined our Structured Finance team!
“The training program offered by Cardo is a great opportunity to get real work experience after graduation and acquire new skills. This was done by carrying out individual projects, all with the constant support of mentors and senior colleagues.
Cardo Kickstart allowed me to learn about the working methodologies and process flows used by developers teams (for example, Agile and Scrum methodology) and explore several technologies, such as Python and React , as well as different job roles (front end/back end). This can be really useful to understand what’s the best fit for you and where you would like to specialize later on.“
What are you waiting for?
You still have time to apply through our talent page and kickstart your career in fintech! If you have any questions or doubts, contact us at ardita.puma@cardoai.com.
