Beetroot Academy Scaleup 2018-2021

Beetroot Academy (BA) established a successful training organization with support of the programme, after initial struggles to reorient operations in the early Covid-19 pandemic. Turning challenges into opportunities was possible inter alia by a) A prevailing momentum in terms of brand establishment b) An effective move to online training, at a time when demand for IT skills and digital solutions was skyrocketing worldwide during the pandemic. In total, 5935 people were trained during the Sida-funded 'Scale UA' project phase. By the end of 2021, BA had become an operationally and financially self-sustainable organization, relying on their own activities to generate funds for continued operations and growth. By the end of the programme, BA reåported a strong momentum of inclusive enrollment and employment of students, which is expected to continue after the end of Sida's support; - During 2021, 2699 students were enrolled and 88% graduated successfully - 65% of students came from regional areas i.e outside of the 5 biggest cities (Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odea, Lviv, Dnipro) - 50% of students have no previous technical education background - 55% of students were women - 346 scholarships were offered to people from different vulnerable groups including IDPs, GBV victims and rural women - Approximately 5% of all Ukrainian new tech specialist talent that entered the labor market were BA alumni

The objective of the intervention is to contribute to economic growth and create sustainable employment by offering more and better vocational training in IT, most notably in areas and segments of the population where public and private access to quality TVET (vocational training) is missing.