Jõhvi, Nairobi and Zhytomyr are sprinting into the world of coding

The home campus launched with 111 participants — the largest cohort across the three locations. Among them are future students already earmarked for the new campuses opening in Võru and Paide. Beyond the daily assignments, the Jõhvi sprint includes morning yoga, a volleyball tournament, and music quizzes. The energy is high, and the fundamentals of debugging, teamwork, and coding are being absorbed at pace.

From over 130 applicants, 32 sprinters were selected for the Nairobi cohort. The group reflects a striking balance: the average age is 22, and exactly 16 women and 16 men are taking part. One participant made the journey from Uganda to join.

What participants are discovering on the ground is something that solo study rarely delivers: collaborative, hands-on work turns out to be far more motivating than grinding through problems alone.

The Zhytomyr cohort — based at Zhytomyr Polytechnic State University — is already into their second week. //kood’s Chief Product Officer Kaur Järvpõld ran workshops on-site and found strong engagement: peer-learning networks have already formed, and the group is working through problems collaboratively rather than waiting to be told what to do next.

The Zhytomyr initiative is part of a broader effort to support Ukraine’s digital transformation and vocational education reform. Like the Nairobi campus, it receives backing from the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV).

Three locations, one approach

What connects Jõhvi, Nairobi, and Zhytomyr is the same methodology: no teachers, no lectures, no hand-holding. Candidates work through problems independently and with peers, discovering whether self-directed learning is something they can sustain — and even enjoy.

The Sprint is the filter that makes the rest of the programme possible.