For talent
Your first job shouldn’t require your second job.
ITpunks is for people who want to become experienced without waiting for permission: students, recent graduates and self-taught builders in software, AI, data, design, product, business, marketing and research.
Who can join
Builders, roughly 16–25, from any background.
- 01Secondary-school and university students
- 02Recent graduates without professional experience
- 03Self-taught developers, designers and data enthusiasts
- 04Business, marketing and product students who want to work with real teams
- 05Young founders who want to learn how companies actually operate
No professional experience required. Curiosity, ownership and the ability to finish things are.
What you gain
Experience that survives a real conversation.
Real projects
Ten-week team projects on problems a company actually has.
Mentors
Experienced professionals who ask before they tell — and sign an honest evaluation.
Modern tools
Professional tooling and frontier AI, plus the discipline to explain every line without it.
A track record
Contributions, evidence and feedback in a record you own and control.
A network
Companies, mentors and other builders who saw what you can do.
Opportunities
Sponsoring companies and Technology LT talk to participants first when they hire.
How selection works
We select for how you learn, not what you already know.
01
Application
Tell us what you have built, what you want to build and how much time you have.
02
Practical task
A small, realistic task. AI tools are allowed. We look at judgement, not speed.
03
Conversation
Twenty minutes, no tools: explain your task, your choices and what could be wrong with it.
04
Matching
We form teams of four around a project, balancing skills, interests and availability.
Project types
What participants work on
- AILLM applications, agents, evaluation, prompt and retrieval design.
- SoftwareWeb, mobile and backend engineering on real codebases.
- AutomationWorkflow automation, integrations, RPA and internal tools.
- DataPipelines, analytics, dashboards and data quality.
- DesignUX research, interface design and prototyping.
- BusinessBusiness analysis, operations and go-to-market work.
- ResearchMarket, user and technology research with real stakeholders.
- MarketingContent, campaigns, analytics and growth experiments.
- ProductDiscovery, specification, prioritisation and delivery.
- Process improvementProcess mining, mapping and improvement of how work actually happens.
Expected commitment
Real work needs real hours.
A cohort project runs about 10 weeks in a team of 4. Expect 20–40 hours a week depending on the project and your availability. Participation is free and unpaid; many participants take it as their university practice period. If a company wants to keep working with you afterwards, that is a separate, paid arrangement.
Next cohort: Early 2027. Dates are announced to applicants first.
FAQ
Questions people ask before applying
Who can apply?
Students, recent graduates and self-taught builders, roughly 16–25, in software, AI, data, design, product, business, marketing or research. You do not need professional experience — that is the point. You do need to show us something you have made or tried, and to commit real hours.
Does it cost anything?
No. Participation is free. There are no fees, no income-share agreements and no repayment clauses. Companies pay for the programme, not participants.
Is it a paid job?
Not by default. Projects are learning projects with real problems; many participants take them as their university practice period. If a company wants to continue working with you after a project, that is a separate, paid employment or contract — never unpaid work.
How does selection work?
We read every application. Shortlisted candidates get a small practical task (AI tools allowed) and a short conversation where you explain your work without the tools. We look for curiosity, ownership and how you learn — not for a perfect CV.
How much time does it take?
A cohort project runs about ten weeks in a team of four. Expect 20–40 hours a week depending on the project and your availability. You tell us your availability in the application; we match accordingly.
Can I use AI tools?
Yes — the best ones available. But you also learn to work without them at checkpoints, to explain every line you ship, and to catch what the model got wrong. Employers hire people who can judge AI output, not people who paste it.
What do I leave with?
A working prototype you helped build, a mentor evaluation, and a record of what you actually did — contributions, evidence, feedback — that you own and choose who to share with. Selected participants may be invited to work with Technology LT or partner companies, but nobody is promised a job.
I am under 18. Can I still apply?
You can register interest. Participation of minors requires guardian consent and follows additional rules on working hours and data protection; we will contact you and your guardian with the details before anything else happens.