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The Estonian state educational system is already pulling Europe’s best PISA scores. But there are even more innovations which can be exported and scaled up. Last week, Estonian programming school //kood has announced that it is opening admissions in Ukraine and Kenya. The aim is to provide participants with technology skills and career foundations in the IT sector.
“These are just the first steps for //kood in Ukraine and Kenya. We want to grow in the future and offer programming education more widely in these countries,” said entrepreneur and //kood co-founder Taavet Hinrikus. “While in Estonia we created //kood to accelerate the training of IT talent, in these new target countries we are giving people the tools to shape their own future and strengthen their communities.”
Both expansions focus on practical IT education for adults. In Ukraine, //kood partners with Zhytomyr Polytechnic University, while in Kenya, the partner is GreatWell Training College in Nairobi. The initiative is supported by the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV).
Ukraine Program
The kood/Zhytomyr project will train 100 students in its first cohort using a hybrid format to accommodate wartime challenges. Tallinn is contributing computers and monitors to support the initiative.
“Ukraine remains our most important development cooperation partner. By supporting such projects, we help strengthen Ukraine’s technology education, especially the development of digital skills in vocational education, which are essential for nation-building,” said Margus Gering, ESTDEV’s head of Cooperation and Development for Ukraine.
Kenya Program
The kood/Nairobi program begins with a three-week Selection Sprint programming camp. Successful participants will enter a year-long distance learning program using //kood’s cloud-based platform.
“With this project, we are contributing to the development of Kenya’s IT expertise with the aim of aligning it with the rapidly changing requirements of the labour market,” said Katrin Winter, ESTDEV’s regional head for Africa.
Local success of //kood
Founded in Jõhvi in 2021, //kood makes technology education accessible through 12-18 month programs covering front-end and back-end development, problem-solving, and teamwork. Students can specialise in areas including cybersecurity, mobile applications, data analysis, and artificial intelligence.
The school has trained 1,100 students across six Estonian cohorts, with over 300 graduates. Nearly two-thirds of graduates now work in the technology sector. Students represent at least 30 nationalities with an average age of 28, and women comprise 16% of the student body.
//kood is expanding within Estonia as well, opening learning centres in Võru and Paide this September. In 2025, Estonia’s Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications recognised//kood as one of the country’s top entrepreneurship promoters.
