Yandex, the Russian Internet giant, is developing an international education platform to train data analysts, data scientists, web developers and other IT specialists. Dubbed ‘Practicum,’ the platform is touted as a “practice-oriented, job-landing bootcamp,” starting with a free 20-hour intro course. After initial roll out in Russia last year, Practicum was made available in English, targeting the US market, in early 2020. East-West Digital News met Practicum Product Manager Andrew Urodov, who explained Yandex’s approach to this project, its deployment amid the coronavirus pandemic, and its achievements to date.
Why create an online education resource on data science and web development? Which market gaps does Practicum aim to address?
The number of tech jobs across the world, including in the US, is increasing every year. Web development and data science are fields that aren’t going anywhere, and their scope will get increasingly more complex over time. We want to address this complexity by teaching students how to acquire knowledge through practice and keep improving their skills at work. With the help of professional tutors who work in tech and a challenging program, we create a framework for continued learning.
It may seem that lots of tech professionals have lost their jobs during the pandemic. However, we believe that the unexpected challenges brought on by the pandemic have merely sped up the process of retraining those individuals who would perhaps face the need to change careers down the road.
This year we’ve seen a dramatic shift with traditional businesses going online and I believe that we will see more and more of this going forward. So, from this perspective, it’s the right time for us to address this market gap and teach those people, seeking to gain new tech skills through constant practice.
Who are these courses primarily intended for?
Our product is aimed at students who can work hard and commit to a 6-10 month program. In return, we support each of our students by providing detailed code reviews and helping them improve their ‘soft skills,’ ensuring they continue to feel motivated throughout the duration of the course and get hands-on experience with Practicum. We work with local NGOs and various business partners, who provide real-world challenges, allowing our students to broaden their experience and build up their portfolios.
We’re conscious of the fact that the job market isn’t a level playing field for all, so we’re trying to improve this situation. We’re working with local communities and offering scholarships to support those who would like to break into tech but encounter barriers beyond their control.
What is the cost for students?
We offer a free 20-hour intro course, then the student is required to pay from $1,200 to $2,000 (depending on the specialty) for the rest of the six-month program.
Why did you start Practicum’s international expansion with the US market?
The idea was to challenge ourselves to further improve our product quality by entering a highly competitive market.
We believe that competition drives innovation. In the future, we will be able to replicate product features from the US market elsewhere around the world. In addition, the fact that the US audience is very diverse has helped us create a product that speaks to different communities, while solving a common problem.
This being said, we currently have students from outside of the US: multiple countries in Europe, Israel, India and so on.
What kind of traction has the service got so far?
Practicum was launched in 2019 in Russia. In January 2020, Practicum also launched in English and is currently offered to 20 cohorts of up to 65 students. We get valuable feedback from our students, enabling us to tweak our offering, further improving it for each new cohort of students that come on board.
At the moment, it’s a bit early to discuss the actual impact, since our first cohort of students is just entering the job market, but we believe their future is bright!
What have been the problems encountered?
Working with a geographically spread out team and hiring people across different time-zones has been a challenge. However, we were able to overcome it quickly, as people around the world have gotten more accustomed to working remotely and we have become more flexible on the operational side of the business.
Currently our team includes people from Boston, New York, Pittsburgh, Denver, as well as various cities in Europe, including London, Bonn, St. Petersburg and Moscow.
What has been the impact of the covid-19 pandemic?
At the start of spring, there was a general expectation that all life and work-related tasks were increasingly moving online, as many people were stuck at home. Companies in our sector were expecting an uptick in online course enrolment. In reality, however, we found that we needed to really double down to support our students and keep them on track, as their daily lives were affected by the pandemic in various ways.
We helped them combat such issues as a lack of motivation, challenges of working from home, time management and the like, while keeping them on track with their studies. Supporting our students remains one of our top priorities this year.
Did you feel that the fact Practicum is backed by a Russian company could be perceived negatively in the US?
We haven’t come across this in our day-to-day work. The majority of the feedback we get is product-related, and in the tech sector and professional community, Yandex is a respected name around the world. It has Russian roots, but has grown into a leading NASDAQ-traded technology company, with a presence in 30 countries and a predominantly international investor base.
At Practicum, we operate like a startup, constantly trying out new things and leveraging the knowledge and expertise of our colleagues throughout the world. We have a lot to offer to people looking to develop a career in our industry, and the response so far has been very positive.
