Study and practice in one thanks to the Work & Study programme, Unicorn University students enjoy both IT work and online learning
Unicorn University students have the opportunity to take advantage of the Work & Study program, which allows them to study and work for the technology company Unicorn at the same time. Students appreciate the opportunity to study online and gain their first work experience while studying. The program allows students to combine junior IT positions at Unicorn with studying in the Bachelor of Software Development program.
Thanks to the Work & Study programme, applicants to Unicorn University can combine theoretical education with practical experience and work on real projects in the IT industry. Alžběta Hurová studied Software Engineering and Big Data at Unicorn University. She joined the Work & Study program because of her studies at the Secondary Industrial School of Electrical Engineering in Prešov, Slovakia, where she first learned about the program. In her final year, she took a Project Management course taught by a Unicorn employee from the Prešov office.
Twenty-year-old student Ali Al Alawin has been in the programme since last year. He said that, although he does not have regular contact with his classmates due to his distance learning, he can plan his time around his schedule. The student praises the courses he studies because he believes they add value. For example, the course Architecture of Cloud Applications appealed to him very much.
"I get up in the morning and do my daily standup meeting from work, then I work until lunch. I then have an hour lunch break and then work until about 5pm. I usually save school for the weekend because it's always been manageable so far, but if I have more school commitments I work on them after work from 5-8pm. After that, I do personal activities and sometimes sleep," says a Unicorn University student on what his typical day looks like.
Students get hands-on experience at Unicorn through the Work & Study programme and receive a discount on tuition fees. Students also have a competitive advantage in the job market compared to their peers who only gain work habits after university. This is a valuable experience, as very few colleges offer both a tuition scholarship and a job offer.
About Work & Study:
- The exclusive Work & Study program is designed for those interested in studying at university and working at one of the largest Czech software companies.
- The Work & Study program is online.
- The Work & Study candidate will go through a motivational interview at Unicorn University and then an admission interview at the IT company Unicorn.
- If the candidate successfully passes both interviews, he/she is enrolled in the Work & Study program.
- As part of the Work & Study programme, Unicorn pays 100% of the tuition fees in the first year and 50% in subsequent years of study.
- During the first year (but no longer than the second year), the student will be assigned a position at Unicorn.
Alawin student participated in two projects at Unicorn - uuCourseKitg02 and uuBill, tried his hand as a tester and developer. The job helped him in improving his IT skills as he had a weak foundation in the beginning. This has now changed and he has improved in many areas. Damián Lipták, 24, who joined the Work & Study programme in 2019, also described his experience.
"I joined Unicorn right after high school and most of my IT experience was gained at this company. Every month I gained new experience, which I can now pass on. I had people around me that I could turn to with questions if I didn't know something. I am glad for this experience, I can deal with problems better," says Damián Lipták about his work experience at Unicorn.
"The motivation for signing up for the program was simple. I had the opportunity to study at a quality university in Prague from the comfort of my home, i.e. from Prešov. I didn't have to move away from my family and loved ones."
Graduates of the programme praise that they do not learn useless things that they quickly forget. They also appreciate personal development, such as 24-year-old Jazmína Čonková, who joined the programme in 2020. In her own words, she is more confident now. She is also convinced that she could handle working in a variety of jobs.
She would recommend the Work & Study programme to future applicants because of the experience she has gained, the excellent classmates, the supportive colleagues at work and the knowledge she has gained. "After completing the program, I stayed on to work at Unicorn as a developer. For me personally, it was a study with a practical focus that opened up new opportunities for me," Jazmína Čonková sums up her participation in the programme.
Unicorn offers positions in the areas of development, analysis and testing, where candidates can work on key projects during their studies. The program is open to technical high school and college graduates and allows students to start working at Unicorn no later than their sophomore year. "At the moment, the programme is primarily aimed at candidates from Liberec, Chrudim, Česká Třebová, Pardubice, Prague and Prešov in Slovakia, but it is open to candidates from all over the Czech Republic and Slovakia, because there are never enough quality 'IT people'," says Gabriela Černá from Unicorn's recruitment department.
