Meet the team behind Codesters Club
Interview with Yana Deyukina, curriculum manager and mentor for high school students at Codesters Club. This article is part of a series introducing the teams and their solutions from the 2024 edition of the Digital Education Accelerator.
Codesters Club is a practical, three-year digital product development programme from Estonia. It’s aim is to teach high school students real-world skills in UX design, front-end and back-end development, and project management.
The programme is led by active industry professionals who act as mentors. They share their expertise and support students through hands-on projects and role-based learning. By integrating tech industry involvement and offering a specialised, student-centred curriculum, Codesters Club is shaping the future workforce in the tech sector and making education more engaging for students.
Meet Yana Delyukina
Yana Delyukina is a web and UI/UX designer with a diverse background. Besides her role at Codesters Club as mentor and curriculum manager for 10th grade , she has experience in the events industry as a customer success manager.
Who else is in your team?
- Ilya Vasilyev - Curriculum manager for the 11th grade, mentor, UI/UX/Product designer and front-end developer
- José Prieto - Curriculum lead, mentor, and game developer
- Egle Paukstelyte - programme director
What are the biggest challenges in digital education?
One of the biggest challenges in digital education is addressing the workforce shortage in the tech sector. Keeping students engaged and motivated can be difficult, especially when traditional subjects lack excitement or a sense of relevance to future career paths.
Another major challenge is bridging the gap between education and the tech industry, ensuring that students gain practical skills that will help them transition smoothly into the workforce.
“We aim to offer students a structured yet dynamic introduction to possible tech careers, combining hands-on projects with mentorship from industry professionals.”
Yana Delyukina
What challenges in digital education does your solution address?
Codesters Club focuses on providing students with real-world experiences in tech through active mentorship and project-based learning. By simulating actual tech industry roles, students gain a deeper understanding of the field and can specialise in areas they are passionate about. Additionally, the programme fosters cross-school collaboration and integrates office visits to tech companies. This gives students a direct connection to the industry.
How can the Accelerator programme support you?
We plan to expand Codesters Club, especially beyond Estonia so the guidance from industry experts and peers in the Accelerator will help us navigate the complexities of scaling up our project.
The programme also provides us with an excellent platform to connect with industry professionals who can offer insights into shaping our approach to scaling, while maintaining the hands-on, mentor-led structure that sets us apart.
What are the next steps for your team?
Currently, Codesters Club operates as a hybrid programme, with lessons taking place both physically in classrooms and online through our platform. While this model has been successful, it does present challenges for scaling. To address this, we are actively working on developing a fully online version of our programme, which will allow us to expand rapidly and reach students outside of Estonia.
Our goal is to maintain the same level of industry engagement and hands-on experience in a digital format, ensuring that more students can benefit from Codesters Club’s unique approach to tech education.
Keen to learn more?
Are you passionate about digital education? The European Digital Education Hub is a collaborative online community that provides a platform to share best practices, discuss and participate in activities related to digital education.