DPG Media’s Campus 19 opens its doors in Antwerp

Campus 19 is continuing its successful international career and will open its doors in Antwerp this autumn. The campus that teaches its students to program in an innovative, autonomous way also wants to provide an answer in Flanders to the growing shortage of IT employees.

Throughout Flanders, companies are looking for suitable IT staff and there is a shortage on the labor market. The number of vacancies in our country continues to increase every year and a number of IT profiles are now on the list of shortage professions. Not only software companies and ICT companies are looking for talent, the demand is also high in other sectors.

The arrival of Campus 19 in Antwerp this autumn should give interested parties the opportunity to retrain as IT professionals and offer them a successful future in the business world. At the end of March, there were 420 vacancies in the ICT sector in Antwerp alone .

Campus 19 is a successful international concept that , under the umbrella name Ecole 42 , has grown in nine years to 35 campuses spread all over the world. The originally French IT campus has had a branch in Brussels with the name '19 since 2018, where 350 students follow a course each year.

The learning method is unique and the same all over the world: the students learn to program in an interactive way without being taught by professors. On campus, students gain access to the training program that guides them online and can learn the basic skills at their own pace.

Each campus is open 24/7, allowing each student to work out a personal learning schedule. Program participants constantly help each other with the exercises and lessons, which provides the necessary support and efficient knowledge transfer.

Casper Caluwe, student '19 Brussels: "The assignments are structured in such a way that you really have to do your own research. Use Google, YouTube or enlist the help of fellow students if you don't know something or if you get stuck. That system appeals to me much more. than listening to a pro in class, where I find it difficult to keep my attention. If I can look up things and try things myself, I am much more motivated to go for it."

The training is free and anyone over the age of 18 can register without any previous knowledge . The campus is aimed at both school leavers and adults who want to change their professional life. The will to study must of course be there and potential participants must prove themselves during an admission period.

Those who have mastered the basic skills can opt to specialize further in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and e-gaming. Depending on the level that students want to achieve, the program takes between two and five years.

Anyone wishing to apply for Campus 19 can register as of today on the campus19.be website . The Campus in Antwerp will have 150 places and aims to train 350 students over the next three years.

John Bogaerts and Ian Gallienne, co-founders,  '19 : "When we founded '19 four years ago, the first campus of the 42 network outside France, our ambition was to educate a diverse group of young people and offer them quality jobs. And this via a campus that is financed by companies. The new developments in Antwerp confirm the successful course we have embarked on."

To attract even more Dutch-speaking students, Campus 19 is now also opening a branch in Antwerp . For this it can count on the support of a number of large companies located in the province of Antwerp. In alphabetical order, Duvel Moortgat, DPG Media, Hubo, Johnson&Johnson, Lifeworld and Port of Antwerp-Bruges support the new initiative. Digipolis, the IT partner of the city of Antwerp, is also structurally supporting the project.  

Thanks to their financial support , hundreds of candidates can apply to start a training course. Campus 19 will be housed in the head office of DPG Media , located at the central station in Antwerp.

Christian Van Thillo, Executive Chairman, DPG Media : "I know of few projects that offer young people such opportunities to build a successful career. It is a social, inclusive and multicultural project for young people who can become a role model for others. I am very satisfied that DPG Media supports this unique project that offers hundreds of young people from our region great prospects for the future. I would also like to expressly thank all Antwerp partners who are supporting Campus 19 with us."

www.dpgmediagroup.com

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