The difficult context of recent years has increased the need for ICT expertise – from transport companies, couriers, education to state institutions, IT specialists are needed to help them integrate online public services. Thus, the Republic of Moldova must ensure that it has enough professionals in the field, and workforce training and IT education seems a more than necessary current investment. In this sense, continuing its mission from the last years, the “Tekwill Bălți” hub opened its doors today – one of the centers within “Nortek”, in the northern region of the country. Among the guests who crossed the threshold was the Prime Minister of the country, Natalia Gavriliță, accompanied by several government officials, representatives of companies in the field, but also the partners who provided financial support for the creation of “Tekwill Bălți” – USAID Moldova , Sweden, ATIC, iHUB Chisinau, UN Women, LED Moldova, Orange.

Natalia Gavrilița, Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova: “Our people are very hardworking, they are innovative and we have seen that, when conditions are created for them, they can fully develop their potential. We see successful entrepreneurs both in the diaspora and at home. With the inauguration of such centers, I am sure that we will have more and more entrepreneurs who will find their purpose, grow and develop their businesses and create jobs at home. Such a modern space, which also has classrooms, laboratories, and business incubators, is a chance for the entire northern region and the entire country to become more competitive and to capitalize on the talent and entrepreneurial spirit of young people.”

Ana Chirița, director of ATIC strategic projects: “ICT is the sector that has proven its resilience in the face of crises and continued to grow when the economy continued to go through difficult periods, bringing added value not only in terms of contribution to GDP – 7 %, but also in the development of society as a whole. The performance of the industry would be even higher if we removed the labor shortage in the field. We believe that it is essential to develop new retraining and continuous development programs for teachers, young people, other specialists, which will enable them to obtain teaching, learning and working skills updated to the needs of the industry. However, this is one of our commitments that we want to continue here, at Tekwill Bălți.”

Tekwill Bălți – connects communities to innovative spaces!

Pupils, students, teachers, entrepreneurs and other industry enthusiasts participated in the opening of “Tekwill Bălți”, where the project implementers proposed to lay the foundations of a community interested in the development of IT in the north of the country. With an area of 1000 m2, located in the heart of Balti, Tekwill will offer visitors: 5 training rooms, 1 conference room, 2 community spaces, 6 coworking spaces and work offices.

Pavel Curcovici, coordinator of the “Tekwill Bălți” hub: “With the opening of the center, we will focus on developing the competitiveness of the ICT sector through educational initiatives in line with industry requirements, supporting IT entrepreneurship and creating innovative products. Here we will host entrepreneurial and community events, and offer opportunities to connect with local and international investor networks. We want to create here, a strategic point that brings together all the elements necessary to facilitate and develop the information technology sector.”

Tekwill Balti – educational programs for any age!

“Tekwill Bălți” is part of the national network of TEKWILL centers, which develops educational and entrepreneurial content, in accordance with local specifics, by promoting partnerships between the private sector, academia and citizens. Some of them are already enjoying success at the local level, and today they are expanding their possibilities:

• Tekwill Academy Kids – Every weekend, the Tekwill Academy Kids team together with local mentors, will conduct several courses for children from the northern region. These will be presented to the general public in a dedicated event, which parents and children will be able to participate in for free – “TAK Open Doors Day”;
• Tekwill in every school – Already successfully implemented in schools in the region, the most complex program of extracurricular courses will continue its activities at “Tekwill Bălți”. Soon, the regional stage of the “Tekwill Junior Ambassadors” competition will take place here. Also, training for teachers who want to get involved in the program will be hosted by the center. Also here, the program implementers will develop the events dedicated to career guidance for TIFS beneficiary students, during which all the questions they have about the professions of the future will be addressed to the specialists;
• Youth Maker Club – The Youth Maker Club activity will take place in the premises of Tekwill Bălți, where both theoretical and practical training will take place (3D modeling and laser cutting, electronics and programming, modeling and 3D printing, etc.);
  Tekwill Academy – will continue its activity and contribute to the professional growth and conversion of those wishing to work in IT through dedicated courses (Java, Web Dev, Digital Upgrade, etc.), but will also launch a regional skills development project digital for public administration. On the very day of the hub’s launch, a dedicated workshop will be organized, and those wishing to participate can consult the project’s page;
• WOW: “Women in online work” – expands its programs also in inciting “Tekwill Balti”, to help as many women as possible to learn and be able to work remotely. Soon, the space will be equipped with an area dedicated to mothers with children, so that women can also participate in offline meetings. Community events are planned where successful women will be invited to share their experiences, and the space has been equipped with a videoconference system for hybrid training.

Soon, more details will be published on the Tekwill page: tekwill.md.

About “Tekwill Balti”

“Tekwill Bălți” is created according to the model of “Tekwill” from Chișinău, being part of the commitment to expand the network at the national level. With the support of USAID and Sweden, in 2017, ATIC created “Tekwill”, with the main goal of aligning the field with current requirements. In order to continue to contribute to increasing the competitiveness of the IT industry and other strategic sectors of the economy, the center expanded its fields of activity, becoming in 2019 a complex project at the national level. The basic objective, as a platform dedicated to the progress of the IT sector, is to ensure a major impact on the economic development of the country, by improving the entrepreneurial and educational capacities of the members of society, but also the research and development potential of higher education institutions , in line with IT market demand.