Learning, innovated.
During 2 intensive years, you’ll learn the development skills of tomorrow, immerse yourself in a creative, collaborative environment and discover what it takes to change the game. Completely for free!
01 Piscine
April 2026 or May 2026The Piscine is an intensive 3.5-week introductory period that will offer you the chance to get your first taste of the world of development and creative collaboration. During this phase, you’ll participate in a total of 10 quests, 3 checkpoints, 3 raids and 1 hackathon designed to help you really get a feel for the way grit:lab works.
After the Piscine, you’ll have gained solid knowledge of working with the command line interface as well as the programming language Go. You’ll have dipped you toes into learning how to learn. The Piscine is the last step in the selection process and will define who will ultimately enroll at grit:lab.
02 Global Curriculum
September 2026The Global Curriculum is the hands-on, project-driven foundation of your studies at grit:lab. With no teachers, no traditional classes, and a gamified learning experience, you’ll progress by completing 50+ real projects that build both your technical abilities and your essential soft skills. Along the way, you’ll use AI as a natural part of your workflow to boost your learning, accelerate problem-solving, and develop modern tech practices.
You’ll work with our main languages (Go, JavaScript, Rust or Java) while exploring many others through the projects — C, C++, Python, Ruby on Rails, PHP and more.
Every challenge strengthens your collaboration, communication, project planning and problem-solving skills. Step by step, you’ll grow from beginner to a confident junior full-stack developer, ready for the final phase.
03 Specialization
2028The final stage of your grit:lab journey is the 6-month Specialization phase. This is where you focus on a specific area of development, deepen your expertise, and shape your direction for the future.
You can choose one of the following branches: Video Games, Blockchain & Crypto, Artificial Intelligence, Mobile Applications, Cybersecurity, or Cloud DevOps. Each branch runs for 6 months and becomes available after you’ve completed the first 18 months of the Global Curriculum.
After successfully completing the grit:lab program and passing the required Professional Audits, you’ll receive a Diploma in Further Vocational Qualification in Information and Communication Technology from Ålands yrkesgymnasium, along with a grit:lab Certificate of Completion.
Building blocks
Cloud-Ready Microservices System
Design and launch a production-style microservices architecture using VMs, Docker, Kubernetes, CI/CD pipelines, and Infrastructure as Code.
Hack & Harden Real-World Systems
Practice offensive and defensive security by exploiting insecure websites, escalating privileges, analyzing malware, and building your own evasion tools.
Build a Real-Time Chess App
Create a live multiplayer chess application with board logic, user interactions, and synchronized game state across devices using Flutter.
Predict Titanic Survivors with Machine Learning
Clean data, engineer features, and train ML models to compete on Kaggle as you learn the full data science workflow from preprocessing to evaluation.
Launch Your Own NFT Marketplace
Design and deploy a full marketplace where users can mint, list, buy, and exchange NFTs using smart contracts you build on Ethereum.
Build a Multiplayer Racing Game
Create a fully networked online racing experience where players join sessions, drive realistic vehicles, and compete in real time using Unreal Engine.
Adaptability
Becoming comfortable with new tools, technologies, and unfamiliar territory — and learning how to learn. Fast.
Problem Decomposition
Breaking large or difficult challenges into manageable steps to move forward effectively.
Perseverance
Pushing through complexity, frustration, and doubt — and discovering confidence on the other side.
Collaboration
Learning to work closely with others, share knowledge, and solve problems as a team.
Self-Driven Learning
Taking ownership of your progress, setting your own pace, and actively seeking answers rather than waiting for instruction.
Create Real-Time Detection Tools
Create a real-time person detection system using YOLO and live video processing.
Build an AI Knowledge Assistant
Build a full RAG-based knowledge assistant with embeddings and an LLM backend.
Debug Smarter with AI
Learn how to debug AI models and reduce hallucinations in their output.
Design Better Prompts
Master simple prompt structures that make AI more accurate and reliable.
Use AI Responsibly
Learn how to use AI responsibly and ethically as a developer.
Write a Web Server from Scratch
Write a crash-proof Rust web server that handles multiple ports and serves static pages.
Build a Multiplayer 3D Shooter
Create a real-time 3D multiplayer shooter with rendering, networking, and UDP communication.
Launch a Social Network
Build a Facebook-like social network with profiles, chat, groups, and real-time updates.
Create Your Own Browser Game
Create your own fast, smooth JavaScript browser game — no engines, just code.
Build a Community Platform
Build a full-stack forum with authentication, posts, comments, and a real database.
After grit:lab
After grit:lab, you’ll leave with the skills, mindset, and real project experience needed to step confidently into the tech world. You’ll know how to build, collaborate, solve problems, and deliver — the abilities companies look for and the ones the future demands.
Many students find opportunities with our partner companies through the work they do during the program. When a strong match emerges, it can lead to trainee roles, internships, or even full-time positions.
For those with an entrepreneurial drive, grit:lab is a launchpad. With hands-on technical skills, peer learning, and creative problem-solving, you’ll be ready to build something of your own — alone or together with other grit:labbers — supported by Åland’s growing tech ecosystem.
No matter the path you choose, grit:lab gives you the foundation to change the game and shape your future.
Now, see where our alumni have gone next.