Kenyan IT students complete internships in Estonia as part of joint Baltic talent partnership project

The four-month-long study programme began in March at Tallinn University’s School of Digital Technologies. The students took an intensive course on interaction design and programming whilst beginning their internships with Estonian technology companies.

One of the companies, Kodally, already has working ties with Kenya. "Since we work with developers in Kenya, we know there is very good talent there. However, the labour market is uneven, and the validation of junior-level developers is time-consuming. This project gave us useful insight," said Kodally’s internship supervisor Jüri Lotman.

To successfully complete the internship, students were expected to be team players with a willingness to learn. "We expected the trainees to have a good work ethic, to want to learn, and to put what they learned into practice. All three expectations were met," Lotman said.

According to Kadri Haljas, CEO of Triumf Health, this kind of project is very rewarding. "We are very grateful to these students and the whole programme. During the internships, the students definitely learnt for themselves, and they also helped to improve our mental health game," said Haljas.

"Estonia is a small economy with limited internal growth potential, where a lot of know-how has accumulated. Kenya is a large country with a young population and growing productivity but a shortage of know-how. But consistency is key here. The longer this kind of programmes run, and the more you learn during them, the more tangible the benefits will be," Lotman added.

Some students completed internships in software development at the Tallinn University’s Centre for Educational Technology. For the past twenty years, the centre has been at the forefront of research and development in technology-enhanced learning (TEL) in Estonia and the surrounding region.

According to Priit Tammets, internship supervisor and analyst at Tallinn University’s Centre for Educational Technology, the students showed great commitment. Their previous knowledge and skills were more than sufficient to work on the projects in which they were involved, and they were able to adapt to the Estonian work environment and culture. As a result of the internships at the university, two solutions allowing teachers to create interactive and personalised learning materials for students using AI were developed.

"In the end, they managed to work in an academic atmosphere very successfully, and they should be proud that ordinary Estonian teachers and students will use the software they created," Tammets said.

Programme benefits both sides of partnership

Digital Explorers 2 aims to strengthen ties between the Baltics and Kenya, Nigeria and Armenia and open up avenues for international cooperation in general.

"We believe this kind of cooperation has a positive impact on the education and technology sectors of both Estonia and Kenya,” said Tammets. “Offering internships to Kenyan students provided an opportunity to enrich our team with fresh perspectives and knowledge while contributing to their professional development and career opportunities. In addition, we contribute to the global exchange of knowledge and skills, which benefits both parties.” 

According to Martin Sillaots, associate professor of Serious Games at Tallinn University, the Digital Explorers 2 project creates a win-win situation. "Students get project-based learning experience, and hopefully, the outcome is a working application that I can test and use in practice," Sillaots said.

Tammets said that as a result of the visits organised as part of the project, they have made personal connections with Strathmore University and other Kenyan universities. He has also seen a readiness to implement other initiatives beyond student internships, such as joint research and development projects and training and knowledge exchange in the field of educational technology.

Digital Explorers 2 is the first joint Baltic development cooperation project implemented by the Estonian Centre for International Development (ESTDEV), Latvia’s Startin.LV, and OSMOS in Lithuania. The Action is co-funded by the European Union via the Migration Partnership Facility of ICMPD. 

This document has been produced with the financial assistance of the European Union, contracted by ICMPD through the Migration Partnership Facility. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of VŠI “OSMOS Global Partnerships” and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union and the one of ICMPD.