International Day of Women and Girls in Science
Last June we launched the first edition of the Bitrock Talent Academy, our training project dedicated to people that want to consolidate their skills in IT programming and enter the tech world with us.
We have now reached the end of the first part of the program, which saw our students learn the foundations of Back-end and Front-end engineering, combining theoretical lessons supervised by our Mentors with interesting workshops & exercises.
While we keep on celebrating our talented students, who are now ready to start off their career in Bitrock and help us shape the future of technology, let’s do a sum-up of what have been the Academy’s key challenges and reached goals.
Bitrock’s Mission towards Continuous Learning
As our CEO Leo Pillon puts it, “Our goal is to train young talents in a sector that still suffers from the shortage of experienced professionals”.
From the first edition of our Talent Academy we have obtained excellent outcomes. The Academy, indeed, has proved to be an effective way to spot young talents and train them directly inside the company, under the supervision of our experienced Mentors. Nowadays, it is particularly challenging to find professionals possessing all the skills our clients and projects require. We have seen on the field that training young, passionate people is the best way to find new talents for our team: people that now possess the ultimate technology skills, which are fundamental to succeed in our sector and keep on growing.
Skilling and (Re)skilling
Our first Academy has turned out to be a great opportunity also for those people that were passionate about technology, but still hadn’t had the chance to professionally work in this field, for one reason or another. Thanks to our initiative, we’ve managed to offer a true reskilling program to young people that used to work in a completely different role or field, and that are now able to do what they love, in a structured company.
This was the case of one of the Academy’s young talents that entered the Bitrock team last June, Gianluca La Rosa. “I come from a completely different sector: I used to work as a publican in a pub in Trieste, my hometown. During the pandemic, while dealing with the creation of a digital menu for the pub where I worked, I decided to change tack completely, coming back to web development and programming, something that I studied when I was younger. I knew that I was on the right track since this is my true passion. Entering the Bitrock Talent Academy has been a turning point in my professional career: I think I’ve finally found my dream job, something for which I'll never have to stop learning the things I love. My tip for young people that are passionate about technology? Take full advantage of the programs that the Academies available on the market offer: some opportunities can change your entire life!”
What’s next?
This was just the beginning of our Talent Academy.
Now that the first edition is over, we are ready to start thinking about Season 2, coming in the next few months. Keep reading our Blog and follow us on our official media channels to get constantly updated!
Meanwhile - as we don’t really feel like standing still - we are working (as part of the Fortitude Group) on the Academy by our sister company ProActivity. A new training project to teach young people the foundations of Back-end development in a free 70-hour course, followed by a paid internship and the chance to be hired by the company with a permanent contract. A unique opportunity for young people that are passionate about technology and aim to become Java Developers.
For more information, please visit https://proactivity.it/talent-academy
Nearly two months ago we launched our Talent Academy, a training program dedicated to students and young professionals with limited knowledge of IT Programming who want to consolidate their expertise and acquire new skills in a few months, giving a boost to their professional life and start working in the industry of the future.
In our 3-month course, indeed, students have the chance to widen their knowledge in Front-end or Back-end Engineering through a program that includes different modules, constantly monitor their progress through periodic assessments to be able to promptly take action in case of learning gaps or specific needs and, last but not least, participate in the Bitrock Life from the very beginning, by being hired with a permanent contract.
We are now proud to present to you the first six students enrolled in the program: a group of talented, brilliant professionals that have started off their career, helping us shape the future of technology. Let’s hear their voices to discover why they decided to enter the IT world in the first place, and what they think about Bitrock after the first few weeks!
Marika: “A few years ago, I started showing an interest in technology since, in my opinion, it represented the future. My first project (a website development) excited me so much that I decided to study IT programming in more detail.
What do I think about Bitrock and IT consulting? It’s a fascinating world - of course still new to me - that I would like to explore as much as possible, especially to truly understand how the company works with its clients.”
Niccolò: “First of all, I’m a huge fan of programming; since I was younger, I’ve always been charmed by the idea of being able to develop programs that could respond to companies’ needs, especially in terms of Front-end engineering.
As for now, Bitrock has turned out to be a stimulating environment for young people: a serious company with an innovative mindset.”
Gianluca: “I think I’ve finally found the job for which I’ll never have to stop learning. And judging from the people that have been working at Bitrock for long, this is a healthy company, always looking forward.”
Giacomo: “I’ve always been interested in technology and IT: being able to make a living out of it is the natural progression of a passion that has been going on for so long.
In Bitrock I’ve found both expertise and enthusiasm from a business perspective, and a stimulating environment that always puts the 'human' aspect of work at its core.”
Marco: “I decided to enter this world because of the innate interest in computers I’ve always had. I also wanted to find a job that could give me the chance to express this attitude in a healthy environment, rich in daily challenges to be faced, and be part of a close-knit team where I could grow.
Even though, at first, I had little confidence in my abilities, in Bitrock I immediately felt at ease. Since the very first meeting, I’ve been breathing an air full of energy and passion, where considerable importance was given to the development of interpersonal relations. I couldn’t ask more to begin this new adventure in the IT world!”
Matteo: “The world of high-end technology requires continuous effort, learning and unflagging dedication, but it brings with it the privilege of being part of an incredible digital transformation process.
Bitrock doesn’t restrict itself to investing in people that are passionate about programming: the company gives them the confidence to develop their skills and grant them limitless professional growth.”
Our Mentors are experienced professionals that follow our students step by step in their educational and professional development journey, providing knowledge, support and advice. Here are the words of Luigi Cerrato, Back-end Developer at Bitrock, as well as one of our super Mentors:
“I’m flattered to be one of the Bitrock Academy’s Mentors, since this is an important role. For me, training young professionals is a mission: this means giving them technical competences, but also trust. Trust, indeed, is fundamental to make them grow and help them face any client’s project with confidence and serenity.
Since the very beginning, I’ve joined my Team Leaders and Bitrock’s HR team in selecting the best candidates for the Academy: people we believe had the potential to be real Bitrockers in the long term, contributing to the company’s successes and further growth.
We have then developed a thorough learning program for our students, covering all the fundamentals of programming, starting from Java (our main reference technology) to the most recent frameworks - such as Spring, Spring Boot, and SpinData.”
Luigi’s passion and commitment for the project is reflected in his words: “What I especially appreciate about Bitrock Talent Academy is the fact that our students can leverage the first months to learn and expand their skills, and then start working on one of our internal projects. This is a unique opportunity: they can put themselves to the test by being involved in a real project and its main tasks, for instance dealing with deadlines.”
Luigi also acknowledges the challenges this role entails: “Of course, this is a demanding journey: it is important, for instance, to listen and understand all the needs and issues the students may have, especially the “silent” ones. Students, indeed, may have difficulties in expressing their doubts or insecurities, sometimes only because they’re a bit shy or unsecure: a good Mentor is the one who is able to read those messages (sometimes even calls for help) in the students’ tone of voice, gesture and eyes, and respond to them. This is actually the part I personally find more challenging, and in which I always try to put much attention.”
Don’t miss the next steps of our Talent Academy’s students and Mentors by reading our Blog and following us on our Social Media channels. More news coming soon!
If you want do know more about Bitrock Talent Academy, don’t miss our dedicated website page: https://bitrock.it/academy/talent
During the covid-19 crises, many employees created new habits and a new balance between home and work life, which are no longer consistent with the old understanding of the workplace.
Though the pandemic may have been the remote work catalyst for many millions of employees around the world, it’s far from being the only reason to work from home. Indeed, the perks of working from home impact many things on a global scale.
Among the benefits that remote work can bring, there’s a better work-life balance for employees, less commute stress, location independence (with full-remote work, you no longer have to live near a major metropolitan area to have a career you love), improved inclusivity (remote work enables companies to embrace diversity and inclusion by hiring candidates from different geographic, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds), and considerable money savings (for both employees and the company).
Furthermore, remote work has a positive environmental impact (one of the fastest ways for employers and employees to reduce their carbon footprint and affect climate change is by reducing commuter travel), and brings an overall happier, healthier life.
Working from home, indeed, has been shown to lower stress: it provides more time for hobbies and interests, and improves personal relationships, among other things.
Striking figures: almost 85% of the interviewed candidates for developers roles at Bitrock in the first months of 2022 have clearly demanded a full-remote position; the request of their current employers to go back to the office is, according to them, one of the main reasons they’re looking for a new job opportunity.
In this new scenario, what’s Bitrock's position? The company has decided to make remote work standard practice for Bitrockers. The strategy empowers developers to manage their own time autonomously, emphasizing trust and placing importance on the objectives reached and individual responsibility.
Today, the Bitrock team, which consists of more than 60 employees from all across Italy (plus external collaborators from other European countries) may work remotely with utmost flexibility. Team members can choose to work entirely remotely or alternate between home and office in a remote-friendly manner, depending on their role and needs.
In the last few months, Bitrock has adopted a number of company tools and processes with the goal of ensuring that internal communication, onboarding, and team building activities are all remote-friendly. In this way, Bitrock life may continue and be useful for everyone, both locally and remotely.
The Bitrock operating offices will not be abandoned, but rather reinvented. Indeed, they will become active areas where the opportunity to meet others adds value: they will encourage creative and informal conversations among colleagues, which are the bedrock of all innovation, particularly amongst people with different expertise or from various parts of the business.
As additional support for remote work, the company has also foreseen a concrete economic help for those employees who are not based in Milan or Treviso (where Bitrock operating offices are) that may want - or need - to work from time to time in a local shared office.
“We have always bet everything on our team” says Leo Pillon, CEO at Bitrock “For us, skills, passion, and motivation are essential. That is why we have decided to implement a strategy that answers to the new needs that have evolved over the last two years, demonstrating that remote work is not an impediment to productivity when it is supported by defined objectives and close involvement in the corporate mission."
To discover Bitrock current Job Openings and all related benefits, including the opportunity to work full-remote, please visit our website or our LinkedIn page!
We at Bitrock believe that anyone can become part of the tech industry, as long as this is something they’re curious and passionate about. To accomplish this mission, we have created a solid internal Academy, where students or professionals with basic knowledge in IT Programming will have the chance to consolidate their expertise and acquire skills in just a few months, giving a boost to their professional life and start working in the industry of the future.
The Bitrock Talent Academy is a precious opportunity for young people that want to enter the tech world and start working for a high-end IT consulting company, but still do not know where to start. The Academy offers a free three-month professional training on Back-end or Front-end Engineering, combining theory lessons and practical labs and workshops, including the opportunity to work on one of Bitrock’s internal projects
A great added-value, which makes Bitrock's Talent Academy stand out from the competition, is that each student, at the beginning of the course, enters the Bitrock team with a permanent employment contract. In this way, they have the opportunity to participate in the Bitrock Life from the very beginning.
Why Bitrock Talent Academy?
If you want to know more about our Talent Academy - including subscription deadlines and how to apply - don’t miss the dedicated page on our website.
Visit now > https://bitrock.it/academy/talent
Bitrock and Fortitude Group have looked for fresh optimism in 2021, following the global Covid-19 emergency, which has completely changed the game in the ICT market. In the past months, we have demonstrated our resilient and constructive attitude as a Group, and we are now ready to take on any new challenges with vigor, relying on the unrivaled passion and enthusiasm of all Bitrockers.
It is now time to revisit an old issue that has always defined the ICT industry and the STEM landscape in general: gender diversity and the effects of gender decisions in the near future.
According to Gartner, 75% of organizations with frontline decision-making teams that represent a diverse and inclusive community would outperform their financial goals by 2022. Gender-diverse and inclusive teams also outperform gender-homogeneous, less inclusive teams by around 50%. It is thus without question that women can create enormous value for the entire digital sector.
One of the key problems is that in higher education, only a limited number of women choose STEM-related fields. Girls make up just 3% of students enrolled in information and communication technology (ICT) courses worldwide. Moreover, deep-seated gender roles and bias discourage women pursuing STEM careers.
Now it is our opportunity to turn things around and ensure that girls all over the world not only receive an education, but also see a bright future in STEM. For innovation and long-term, sustainable economic development, young girls with an interest in STEM must be empowered and inspired to pursue careers in technology.
As Bitrock, it is critical that we raise our own awareness (as well as the one of our stakeholders, partners, and collaborators) about the topic. As a tech company where men still make up the majority of the workforce, we agree that gender equality is not solely a female issue. We see this as a critical challenge that must be addressed immediately in order to achieve gender parity in the technology industry's future.
As part of Fortitude Group, we at Bitrock are proud to endorse SheTech, a non-profit organization dedicated to bridging the gender gap in the tech and digital world. The community organizes networking activities as well as training courses to help girls and women learn new skills and job opportunities while also providing positive role models.
Bitrock is promoting new projects in the sector through this Partnership, which aims to increase the representation of women in technological and digital employment. We also hope to raise awareness of technology job roles among young women by participating in SheTech's Digital Breakfast events and dedicated workshops, as well as debunk some of the myths that exist around technology employment.
Last but not least, all women in our Team have access to an annual membership, allowing them to participate in SheTech's activities, training courses, bootcamps, and webinars: the ideal opportunity to gain new soft skills, network with peers, and make lifelong learning a priority in their careers.
Gender equality at all levels is a very effective success enabler. For this reason, we are actively participating in mentorships in order to create more opportunities for women. We have prioritized this in our Employer Branding strategy and set goals that will hopefully result in a rise in female employees.
To conclude on an optimistic note, we agree that if we all work together, the gender gap will narrow in the future, and we will continue to fight until we achieve full gender equality in the ICT field.
Stay tuned to discover all the events in partnership with SheTech we have in store for you!
Last week our Team gathered for our first corporate event of 2021, which turned out to be a great success for at least three different reasons.
To begin with, this was the first live event after the lengthy Covid-19 emergency. With proper precautions and respecting social distancing norms, we were able to meet in person at the event location - a cool and fancy restaurant in Milan - laughing, eating, and drinking together (as every proper event requires).
This occasion allowed many people to finally get together face to face: as we all know, seeing each other via a computer screen may be fun and necessary these days, but meeting colleagues in the “real” world, shaking hands, sharing laughs and jokes is another story!
Secondly, this was the first official Fortitude Group event, with all team members from Bitrock, Radicalbit and ProActivity participating. A great opportunity to mark the new Fortitude era, after the 2021 Group rebranding.
Last but not least, events of this kind are also important since many colleagues that seldom have the chance to meet due to the allocation on different projects or different geographical location can finally spend some time together. During this evening, we finally had all people from Treviso, Lugano, Milano (and many other cities around Italy) together in one spot.
The event started with a welcome aperitif followed by a tasty dinner (typical Milanese cuisine...what else?!). Our CEO Leo Pillon took the chance to greet all participants and deliver a brief talk, addressing the challenges this period has meant for the Group, but also all the great results and success we were able to achieve while working remotely. It is a distinct corporate culture, a sense of togetherness and a clear direction that have fuelled the passion emerging in our daily work.
Curious to know more about the Bitrock world? Look at the pics below to get a taste of our event, and visit our Instagram page to discover much more!
We are now ready to start planning our next big event. Will you join us? 🙂
Integrating new technology into team building activities and team development is a thrilling way to engage employees in a safe and playful environment outside the standard working environment.
Our “Bitrock Front-end Brain Training Game”, a RxJs training session during which our Front-end team tried their hand at generating a data stream in an engaging virtual game, is just an example.
The event - Bitrock's first of its kind - was organized last Spring with two main goals: to experiment new front-end technologies applying them in a practical code project, and to improve teamwork among team members who are often assigned to different projects.
Let’s now consider at a closer glance the technical aspects of our Brain Training Game.
Our goal was to organize a training session on reactive programming. We thus implemented the Back-end and Front-end (in Javascript) of a small Brain Training game application, in order to have a generator of a fair number of events.
Although this was a small-size project, we made an initial analysis working with the UX team and producing some wireframes, mockups and flow diagrams.
The Front-end part was built with React, and we focused on the adoption of the reactive paradigm using RxJS. For the Back-end, we opted for MarbleJs, a framework with RxJs capability. WebSocket was adopted as an events communication system, and we created some components that subscribed to it.
Internal events like these have many side effects in terms of employee empowerment and corporate workplace culture.
To begin with, our Brain Training Game has proven to be a highly collaborative, team-building activity empowering team members. Collaboration and teamwork are forged by such occurrences: people are drawn together and motivated to achieve a common goal when they are presented with a common problem to solve.
The game has also given our company (and specifically the Front-end department) a great opportunity to innovate. This is due to the fact that the very essence of these activities encourages creativity, as each team member is involved and granted complete freedom to develop and express themselves. Having a set amount of time to complete the project produces results. However, this is a different kind of pressure than what employees are used to, and a game may help loosen the constraints of corporate bureaucracy, responsibilities, and strict deadlines.
Last but not least, the relaxed atmosphere of such an event, which is centered on a shared challenge expressed through an interactive online game, offers a temporary departure from the standard. And such a “disruptive” workflow can lead to an improved work ethic among employees.
Not to mention the chance to have fun and share pleasant moments with coworkers throughout the workday – if deadlines, reports, and briefings are part of the team's everyday routine, why not set aside some time and space for something different? A bit of fun is always appreciated.
Thanks to our Brain Training Game, Team members have had the chance to share their imagination, create cool things, and learn while having fun.
All participants have shown great excitement during the event: for them, this hackathon has been a real opportunity to work with new technologies, specifically with the Reactive paradigm.
While one of our Front-end developers said that this was a great opportunity to improve communication and bond with colleagues, another participant said: “I am glad to have joined this project: I have experimented with Marble.js, a useful library to make practical use of RxJs syntax”.
We are now prepared to replicate this type of event in the future, experimenting with new formulas and events, and maybe even extending it to other Teams.
Our efforts to promote creativity and cooperation are still ongoing. Keep an eye out for the next move!
When it comes to global environmental issues, we may all feel quite helpless today. However, despite how insignificant we can feel as individuals, there are a few things we can all do to make a difference.
One big choice is tree planting, which has many benefits for the environment and local rural communities. And that is precisely what we have agreed to do along with our holding company Fortitude Group.
As you may already know, 2021 has been a crucial year for the entire Group, with a major rebranding and the creation of our NewCo ProActivity.
To mark the beginning of this new era of development, resilience and sustainability, we've agreed to launch our green project in collaboration with Treedom, which calls for the planting of 200 trees around the world to protect the environment and empower local communities.
Trees are the cornerstone of not just whole ecosystems, but also whole societies. Treedom, in collaboration with local NGOs, identifies local farmers who will profit the most from tree planting. As a result, they become tree guardians, caring for them and reaping the benefits they provide. This encourages the use of long-term, sustainable land management strategies - like agroforestry, which brings food security for the farmers and their families.
With the planting of our "Fortitude Forest", we can now contribute to the initiative and start leaving our first green footprints around the world. Just think about the broader environmental benefits of tree planting, such as preventing soil erosion and deforestation, increasing biodiversity, and lowering CO2 levels. And what if we told you that the trees we planted have the capacity to absorb enough CO2 from the atmosphere to fill 146 trucks?
Coffee trees in Colombia, orange trees in Haiti, cacao trees in Cameroon, guava and markhamia in Kenya: every tree belonging to Fortitude Forest is geolocated and photographed, and has its own landing page with regular updates on the project posted in an online diary.
As a result, everybody on the Team is genuinely invested in the project and has the opportunity to make a difference.
We are honored to be a part of such an incredible journey, which will undoubtedly continue in the coming years. Tree planting is a small action with many, far-reaching benefits: an action that has the potential to improve people's lives, the environment, and our future too!
Spend some time in nature and take a virtual walk into our Fortitude Forest > https://www.treedom.net/en/organization/fortitude-group/event/fortitude-forest
Here we are, after two months spending time together in our Virtual Office. Two months that have seen us deeply involved in many team-building activities to give the due importance to the human aspect of our worklife and reinforce our Team spirit during the long lockdown phase.
Here’s the best highlights from our Bitrock Virtual_Office Journal: delve into its pages with us and get ready to turn back time…
Our first virtual event is an open discussion about the world of Sport&Wellbeing. What are Bitrockers fond of? Huge success for Martial arts and Oriental disciplines, followed by typical Winter sports (above all Skiing) and Water sports (Sailing is king here). But there’s appreciation for Meditation and Yoga, too!
Another day, another event: this time we’re ready to talk about Movies&TV Series: a very popular topic, especially during these months of lockdown. “What do you suggest me watching?” “Have you ever watched…?” – a passionate debate full of advice and reviews. The most loved TV series? The historical and science-fiction ones.
Today’s event is dedicated to the lifetime passion of our Team members Marco and Mattia: BBQ. During an involving presentation, with a lot of information, examples and advice, they’re able to reveal us the secrets (or almost all of them) of the perfect BBQ. Now we can dream of our next real team-building bbq party!
Today there’s a unique opportunity for the Team: listening to a fascinating introduction speech into the world of Mindfulness. Thanks to the knowledge and passion of Franco, we are ready to discover its main pillars and meditation practices: from its origins to the bonds with the Oriental culture, not forgetting a few examples of concrete activities and exercises, such as the awareness of breath, feelings, and thoughts. Mindfulness has proved to be a fascinating topic for the whole Team: we’re all eager to find out more!
Our Virtual Office is changing into a bakery! Today Claudia will show us the best tricks and tips for pastry-making. The activity is not very simple, but brings also so much fun… Our mission? Cooking chocolate truffles. Each of us has their own ingredients and is ready to follow Claudia’s instructions on the screen, step by step. Huge success for our first Cooking Together event!
Since in Bitrock we foster continuous learning and improving, here’s the perfect opportunity for us to expand our knowledge in many fields (history, science, literature and much more): a challenging general-knowledge Quiz! Two teams are fighting to conquer the title of “Smartest Team”. The final result? 10-10: all winners (and smarter)!
Here we are, ready to travel around the world together (at least virtually). “Let’s Travel” is our new open-discussion event, during which we have the chance to talk about our past travel experiences, and our future journeys. The most fascinating destinations for the Team? The Far-East Countries (Thailand and Indonesia above all). But also several European cities seem to have stolen the heart of many of us: from Budapest to Prague, from Lisbon to Berlin.
Today we have the chance to get closer to Calisthenics, a form of physical training focused on teaching you how to master your own bodyweight using minimal equipment. Thanks to the expertise of Erik, who has been practicing this sport for a few years now, we can discover many interesting aspects about it. For instance, that the word itself comes from the Greek: Kalos and Sthenos, meaning “Beauty” and “Strength”. Thanks to Erik’s presentation we can learn this discipline’s origins, benefits, and the main exercises that Calisthenics athletes can perform (such as the “human flag”!)
Today’s virtual event is dedicated to reinforcing our “green” soul: here’s an open discussion about Eco&Sustainability topics. Thanks to an online quiz game, we can test our knowledge regarding plastic pollution and learn many new facts and figures (for instance, that every year about 8 million tons of plastic waste escapes into the oceans from coastal nations). The event is also an opportunity to talk about possible remedies, such as improved waste management systems and recycling, a responsible use of disposable packaging and reduction in manufacturing of single-use plastics.
Our Team has proved to be composed by talented chefs: here’s the second round of our “Cooking Together” event! Following Claudia’s precise instructions, we are ready to prepare our first double-chocolate cheesecakes. The event turns out into an unforgettable experience: there’s always time for fun and laughter beyond ingredients and kitchen tools!
The English language plays a crucial role in our international Team. That’s why we decided to dedicate one of our events to improve our language skills. How? With fun, of course: thanks to entertaining videos and an online Pub Quiz game, we can work on our pronunciation and fluency. The one and only rule for this event? Italian banned - English only!
Today we have the opportunity to listen again to Franco’s Mindfulness presentation. Having already explored its basics during last month’s event, this time we raise the bar and start discovering a few mindful practices that we can put into practice in our daily life – especially during these months of smart working, during which a responsible and focused attitude is required. The main lesson we have learnt from today? “The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second-best time is now” (Chinese proverb).
So, here we are now, full of good memories about events that have been able to cheer us up during the lockdown months.
What other opportunities will the Virtual Office offer us? The virtual room is still open and eager to welcome new voices and new faces… New events #comingsoon!