Bit Academy was born from Bit, a student organization that strives to provide students with extra IT knowledge by having them work in the field alongside their studies. Bit was founded by students who felt they weren’t being challenged enough in their education. In essence, they created their own learning-focused side job. Today, Bit employs the top 50 IT talents in Amsterdam, working for major companies both domestically and internationally. They collaborate with these companies to build tech innovations and help them integrate new technologies into their business.
The learning formula at Bit has been highly successful, and a wealth of knowledge and experience has been gained in teaching both the hard and soft skills necessary to become a skilled software developer. These insights were applied in developing a educational program, the Bit Academy.
At Bit Academy, we have provide four services:
Bit Academy is located in several places, including The Next Web in Amsterdam, the H20 Esports Center in Purmerend, and in Groningen. These are perfect locations for our program, thanks to strong experts, various educational institutions, and a healthy mix of entrepreneurs nearby. All the ingredients are present for a stimulating and challenging learning environment.
At Bit Academy, education and professional practice are completely intertwined, which makes this program so unique. You learn in a professional work environment and work on meaningful, real-world assignments. In addition to training you for your diploma, Bit Academy prepares you to become a well-rounded professional who can easily transition to the business world or higher education.
The IT sector evolves rapidly. New techniques and frameworks emerge monthly, quickly gaining popularity. Many of these tools also fade out just as quickly. This makes teaching in this field particularly challenging. As in many other fields, IT instructors are expected to continue developing their own skills. However, in IT education, continuous learning is almost a profession in itself. That’s why our goal is to equip students with skills that will remain relevant for many years, both personally and professionally. One example is fostering students’ ability to learn independently.
Additionally, students must master interactive tasks, and we believe they should experience these hands-on to improve. Therefore, another goal of ours is to train students directly in real-world environments, preparing them to become professionals. We are happy to help beginner programmers improve continuously, for instance by working on rich-context assignments from prominent clients.
Of course, this requires skilled coaches and instructors who can guide students well and provide feedback. It’s crucial that these individuals stay closely connected to the IT market, allowing them to stay up-to-date with the latest industry changes. That’s why we work with hybrid teachers and coaches—professionals who have one foot in education and the other in the professional field.
Since the market evolves at lightning speed, it’s essential to remain flexible and continuously adapt our curriculum to meet the demands of the job market. To keep up with these real-world changes, we consistently reflect on the state of our education and keep it in a constant state of development. This reflection and effort to stay up-to-date happens in two ways: