“Our methodology looks at the skills a student should acquire from a role-based perspective,” Beyondskills founder Davide Carmeci says. “We analyze the job description for each role and define the standard requirements that hiring managers expect to find in their job candidates. Our instructors then build their syllabi with those requirements in mind, developing courses that will prepare students to be effective workers from day one.”
A shortage of talent in the blockchain market
In this era of technological development, more employers are looking for employees with blockchain skills. While more organizations commit to blockchain technology, there is a shortage of talent in the market. Beyondskills aims to address this problem by offering training for people interested in pursuing careers in blockchain at all levels.
When the blockchain community started growing, Davide foresaw this shortage of talent. “Before I launched Beyondskills, I had a chance to contribute to the growth and sales of an e-learning IT security company,” says Davide. “This experience helped me see the incredible impact the ed-tech industry can have in changing people’s lives.” Davide’s previous stint in the ed-tech industry also helped him understand how technology evolves. “When emerging technologies develop from the initial hype to a more mature stage, there is usually a mismatch between the job market that requires professionals proficient in the new technology vs. the education system’s ability to produce graduates with those skills.”
When Davide became passionate about the blockchain industry a few years ago, he realized the technology would inevitably suffer from a shortage of trained graduates. Last year, when he left his previous company, it dawned on him that it was the perfect time to support the blockchain community by offering an effective and accessible training solution. “I shared this idea with the former CEO and founder of my previous company, Armando Romeo,” Davide says. “Armando decided to invest in it, and Beyondskills was born.”
A commitment to role-based training
Beyondskills instructors are committed to producing employable students with transferable skills. They offer self-paced, practical and role-based training at all levels, teaching skills that meet the requirements of both current and emerging roles in the blockchain industry. Davide is confident in the caliber of students who have gone through Beyondskills training. “Students who pursue training at Beyondskills will certainly be employable,” he affirms. “The practical, role-based approach of our training prepares them to start a career in the industry.”
Beyondskills plans to continue developing a catalog offering courses for different experience levels. They’ve already launched Practical Blockchain Fundamentals – a beginner’s course – and Blockchain Engineer Junior – a course for blockchain engineers. “Other courses train the students for a sprint,” Davide says. “We prepare them for a marathon. We aim to offer structured learning programs where the students can always find something new to learn and continuously expand their skill set.”
A tailored course for aspiring blockchain engineers
Beyondskills launched Blockchain Engineer Junior in early June to help students develop skills for one of the most sought-after roles in the industry. “Learning to develop blockchain applications is essential. It’s the first step for anybody who wants to become a blockchain engineer,” Davide explains.
This course focuses on teaching students how to use Solidity to code Smart Contracts. “By offering an interactive and engaging practical learning experience, we strive to enable computer science graduates and anybody with basic coding skills to make that first step,” Davide emphasizes.
With Blockchain Engineer Junior, Davide and his team hope to go beyond simply preparing students to find their first job in blockchain. They also hope they can give students agnostic knowledge which they can use it in the future to choose their career path.
Rising global adoption of blockchain
The blockchain industry is growing, with more organizations relying on blockchain technology to help meet their strategic priorities. This trend has been confirmed by many industry reports, such as Deloitte’s Global Blockchain Survey 2020.
Davide is certain that the adoption of blockchain technology will continue to increase long beyond 2020. So “The real question is how this trend will shape up in different countries,” Davide states. “If you look at the global blockchain market, the answer to this question will come from the role that each government will play in regulating the industry.”
The future of Beyondskills
With more organizations committing to blockchain technology as a crucial part of their overall strategy, the future of Beyondskills is promising. Davide hopes he and his team can develop this into more than a simple training platform.
“My vision is to make Beyondskills a reliable outpost where students with different backgrounds can come to start a learning experience that will grow with them throughout their career in the blockchain industry,” Davide says.