Founded by Adewale Yusuf, Akintunde Sultan, and Opeyemi Awoyemi in October 2021, AltSchool aims to train African software engineers, with the aim of equipping them for international opportunities. The platform’s curriculum over basic software engineering to mid-level engineering knowledge.
The founder was already running a company called TalentQL before AltSchool. The idea that has grown into what is now known as AltSchool started from the realization that there was a considerable knowledge gap in the Nigerian software engineering industry as most professionals did not have a basic understanding of the field. The hole is because the majority of Nigerian Software engineers are self-taught.
AltSchool, on Tuesday, February 1, 2022, announced via official publications that it had raised $1 million in pre-seed funding to escalate its efforts. The VCs in the round include Voltron Capital, Nestcoin, Pledges, and Odba VC. AltSchool intends to use the funds to expand its content and curriculum and its technological infrastructure and community concept.
The curriculum is entirely online and is programmed so that students under the platform can finish the entire course and earn a certification in a year. To qualify for enrollment into the program, prospective participants need a high school leaving certificate and be computer literate.
The School has recorded more than 8,000 applications, mainly from Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda, Kenya, and Botswana. The application fee is 10,000 Naira, which translates to about $20 (USD). After application, students have to take an assessment test. To be admitted into the School, one must reach the cutoff mark of 80%. It’s a one-year program in which students complete classes for nine months (three semesters) before going on to a three-month internship to gain practical experience.
The study tracks currently available at the School are Frontend Engineering, Backend Engineering, and Cloud Engineering. The School is working on expanding to other fields such as Product, Blockchain, and Data. It plans to release the product modules later this year. The module will include product management, marketing, and design.