A training provider based in the Île-de-France region has created new digital tools and course content, thanks to an investment from the European Regional Development Fund. O’clock provides web development courses to people across France, enabling them to learn from the comfort of their own homes. The Digital Platform for Remote Training project delivered technological advances that improve the learning experience and help students to find work. O’clock’s innovative package is proving popular as more people sign up to courses each year. Of the total number of participants, 70 % find work.
- 31 August 2020
At O’clock, we can experience a lively and convivial learning adventure, without encountering difficulties linked to the necessity of travelling to a physical location. We have thought up a whole new type of school, with an innovative learning approach perfectly adapted to the requirements of a high-demand profession in France and worldwide: web development.
O’clock was founded in 2016 and offers full-time, five-month courses to people keen to learn the latest web development techniques. The company developed its remote training technologies from scratch. These include a cockpit – or virtual classroom – where students undertake their daily coursework; and a ‘teleporter’ where they can share screens and collaborate.
Improving technologies
ERDF funding has allowed O’clock to improve its technologies and provide a more impactful training experience. The cockpit now has a number of new functions, including the ability to record courses and make them available to absent learners. In addition, it is possible to tailor exercises for individuals and measure a learner’s activity time.
The company has created a web platform called Deviens Dev which has been online since 2018. This function provides testimonials from senior web developers, presentations of the profession at work and small discovery exercises. The aim is to provide users with information about web development and help them find the right career path.
In a final ERDF-backed innovation, O’clock has created a user-friendly ‘jobs bot’, which trainees can access to help find employment. The bot sends users new job opportunities that match their skills set and location.
Expanding business
These improvements have helped the company grow. In 2017 the school trained 123 people, a figure which grew to 305 in 2018 and 590 in 2019. Since 2018, skills training courses for 40 job-seekers are supported by the European Social Fund. In future, O’clock expects to train around 1 000 people every year, who are attracted by the telepresence format which brings together the benefits of face-to-face training and those of distance learning.
Thanks to the technology upgrades, trainees can follow courses while interacting with their peers and teachers. Learning this way breaks down accessibility barriers as anyone can take a course wherever they are with no need to take public transport.
The 70 % post-training employment rate is on a par with top-quality physics courses and much higher than those achieved by traditional e-learning courses. The courses meet demand by providing training in the three most wanted wed development technologies – Symphony, Wordpress and React.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Digital Platform for Remote Training” is EUR 316 575, with the European funds contributing EUR 142 762 through the “ERDF-ESF ile-de-France et Seine” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priorites “ICT” and “Employment and labour market”.