Ready, steady, Springboard!

World, meet Calcey Springboard—an open-for-all scholarship scheme to learn code and get a job in Sri Lanka's booming IT sector.

Our success over the last two decades wouldn't have been possible without access to Sri Lanka's awesome tech talent. And as a circular business which believes in the ideals of equal opportunity and giving back, we want to contribute towards enlarging that very pool of tech talent. In doing so, we also aim to eliminate the barriers students face in choosing computer science as a career path.

Through a total endowment of LKR 10 million, Calcey Springboard will provide a number of no-strings attached scholarships to deserving students. Awardees will follow a year-long program comprising MOOCs (Massive Open Online Courses) from the world’s best universities, curated by Calcey’s own engineering leaders. The curriculum, which consists of courses from universities and organizations such as Harvard, Georgia Tech, IBM, University of Michigan, and TUDelft, is valued at approx. USD 4000 per student, and will be delivered via EdX.org—our exclusive course delivery partner.

Each student will be assigned a mentor and will participate in weekly mentoring sessions. Students will also be offered the chance to regularly meet and interact with seasoned veterans of the tech industry.

Calcey Springboard will fund all verified credentials necessary to mark the completion of every course. Successful graduates will be ready to embark on a career as a software engineer, and are free to seek internships at Calcey or any other organization.

That's a promise.

Applications for the program are now closed.

How Calcey Springboard works

1

Cognitive Test for selection

Introduction Workshop @ Calcey

Semester 1

CS50's Introduction to Computer Science

  • A broad and robust understanding of computer science and programming
  • How to think algorithmically and solve programming problems efficiently
  • Concepts like abstraction, algorithms, data structures, encapsulation, resource management, security, software engineering, and web development
  • Familiarity in a number of languages, including C, Python, SQL, and JavaScript plus CSS and HTML
  • How to engage with a vibrant community of like-minded learners from all levels of experience
  • How to develop and present a final programming project to your peers

HTML and CSS fundamentals

  • How to write a Web page
  • Concepts of a markup language
  • Basics of HTML5 and CSS
  • Web design and style
  • Page layout and flexbox

Relational Database Basics

  • Describe a relational database and explain relational database concepts.
  • Design the schema of a relational database.
  • Create database objects such as tables, keys, constraints, and views.
  • Load tables with data from .CSV files.
  • Demonstrate working knowledge of MySQL, PostgreSQL and IBM Db2.

Business Communication

  • How to critically evaluate your role in workplace interactions
  • How to employ strategies for active listening
  • How to ask questions that move conversations forward
  • How to communicate ideas clearly and succinctly
  • How to assess needs of clients and colleagues
  • Best practices for face-to-face and remote communication

Critical Thinking & Problem Solving

  • How to perform strategic analysis and assessment
  • How to perceive and assess a critical need and design a tailored solution
  • How to identify key stakeholders and ensure their needs are met
  • How to employ adaptive problem-solving
  • How to work through obstacles collaboratively
  • How to analyze failure to improve future performance

Teamwork & Collaboration

  • How to understand the complexities of group dynamics and interactions
  • How to motivate by improving group climate
  • How to develop skills in leadership, problem-solving, conflict management, and other critical group dynamics
  • How to assess team effectiveness and success

Storytelling in the Workplace

  • Understand the elements of effective stories and how to use them in the workplace
  • How to tailor your messaging to a defined target audience
  • How to structure written messages for maximum audience impact, taking into consideration tone, style, point of view
  • How various platforms convey messages differently in a professional setting

End semester exam at Calcey

Semester 2

Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with Java I: Foundations and Syntax Basics

  • Learn the basic elements of a Java program
  • Learn how to execute Java programs
  • Understand the motivation behind object-oriented programming
  • Understand how to think of solutions in terms of classes and objects
  • Create objects and invoke methods
  • Learn three kinds of decision-making statements (if, if-else, switch)
  • Learn three kinds of iteration statements (while, do-while, for)
  • Explore modularity and reusability in the context of methods
  • Understand when and how to overload methods

Introduction to Object-Oriented Programming with Java II: Object-Oriented Programming and Algorithms

  • Learn how to write instantiable classes that serve as blueprints of concepts or objects
  • Learn how to write and implement accessor and mutator methods
  • Learn how to use constructor overloading and chaining
  • Learn how to use method overloading
  • Identify when and how to use an abstract class
  • Learn how to define an interface

Git and GitHub Basics

  • Describe version control and its place in social and collaborative coding ​and in DevOps.
  • Explain basic Git concepts such as repositories and branches used for distributed version control and social coding.
  • Create GitHub repositories and branches, and perform pull requests (PRs) and merge operations, to collaborate on a team project.
  • Build your portfolio by creating and sharing an open-source project on GitHub.

Data Structures & Algorithms I: ArrayLists, LinkedLists, Stacks and Queues

  • Develop mature Java programming skills with the use of generics, references and interfaces
  • Understand the principles of data storage in Node objects
  • Program various low-level data structures like Singly, Doubly and Circular LinkedLists
  • Design and implement ADTs like Lists (backed by Arrays), Stacks and Queues
  • Examine the edge cases that occur in these linear data structures
  • Analyze the time complexity of linear data structures and their algorithms
  • Compute amortized analysis for Arrays, ArrayLists, Stacks and Queues
  • Implement recursive methods that operate on linear data structures
  • Extend knowledge of these concepts to other structures like PriorityQueues and Deques

Introduction to SQL

  • Perform basic SQL operations
  • Create a database instance in the cloud
  • Create tables and load data
  • Query data using string patterns and ranges
  • Sort and group data in result sets
  • Invoke built-in database functions such as MIN(), MAX(), AVG(), etc.
  • Work with various datatypes including INTEGER, CHAR, VARCHAR, DATE, TIME, TIMESTAMP

NoSQL Database Basics

  • Define the term NoSQL and the technology it references.
  • Describe the major categories of NoSQL datastores (document, key-value, graph, etc.) and their architectural differences.
  • List the most commonly used NoSQL datastores, their primary use cases and benefits (MongoDB, Cassandra, Cloudant, Couch DB, etc.).
  • Understand the factors affecting return on investment for using locally hosted databases, versus hosted database versus DBaaS.
  • Demonstrate hands-on working knowledge of MongoDB
  • Demonstrate hands-on working knowledge of Cassandra
  • Demonstrate hands-on working knowledge of Cloudant

AWS Cloud Practitioner Essential

  • Define the cloud and how it works
  • Differentiate between cloud computing and deployment models
  • Describe the basic global infrastructure of the cloud
  • Identify an appropriate solution using AWS Cloud services with various use cases
  • Describe the Well-Architected Framework
  • Explain the Shared Responsibility model
  • Describe security services with the AWS Cloud

Public Speaking

  • How to apply the basic elements of the speech communication process
  • Tools and methods for controlling public speaking anxiety
  • How to craft a clear and impactful speech
  • How to critique other communicators using the principles of this course
  • How to identify main and supporting ideas

Visual Presentation

  • How to utilize best practices for presenting quantitative data using images
  • How to incorporate basics of visual design in everyday workplace presentations
  • How to select impactful and appropriate images for various audiences to support your message
  • How to understand visual hierarchy and other text-to-image relationships

End semester exam at Calcey

Semester 3

Data Structures & Algorithms II: Binary Trees, Heaps, SkipLists and HashMaps

  • Develop mature Java programming skills by using recursion in Tree ADTs
  • Investigate different nonlinear, linked data structures: Trees, Heaps, SkipLists and HashMaps
  • Study the significant uses and applications of hierarchical tree structures
  • Explore tree properties, and categorizing based on shape and order
  • Design and implement the binary trees: BSTs and Heaps
  • Examine edge cases and efficiencies in BST and Heap operations
  • Understand the up-heap, down-heap and build-heap procedures
  • Consider the probabilistic data structure, SkipLists, and randomization
  • Implement a HashMap ADT with its key-value pairs
  • Analyze the different collision strategies with HashMaps
  • Compute amortized analysis for Heaps and HashMaps

Data Structures & Algorithms III: AVL and 2-4 Trees, Divide and Conquer Algorithms

  • Improve Java programming skills by implementing AVLs and sorting algorithms
  • Study techniques for restoring balance in AVL and (2-4) trees
  • Distinguish when to apply single and double rotations in AVLs
  • Investigate complex (2-4) trees that exhibit underflow and overflow problems
  • Demonstrate the appropriate use of promotion, transfer and fusion in (2-4) trees
  • Implement basic iterative sorting algorithms: Bubble, Insertion and Selection
  • Explore optimizations to improve efficiency, including Cocktail Shaker Sort
  • Contemplate two Divide & Conquer comparison sorting algorithms: Merge and Quick Sort
  • Consider one non-comparison Divide & Conquer algorithm: LSD Radix Sort
  • Analyze the stability, memory usage and adaptations of all sorting algorithms presented
  • Study the time complexity for the AVLs, (2-4) Trees and sorting algorithms

JavaScript Introduction

  • How to add JavaScript code in your Web site/Web app, and how to debug it
  • How to make interactive Web sites through the DOM API
  • How to change the CSS styles of HTML5 elements from JavaScript
  • How to deal with HTML5 forms
  • How to make basic graphics and animations using the HTML5 canvas

Agile and Scrum Fundamentals

  • How to adopt the 5 practices of Agile, a subset of DevOps: small batches, minimum viable product, pair programming, behavior- and test-driven development.
  • How to create and refine a product backlog using the sprint planning process. Produce potentially shippable product increments with every iteration.
  • How to write good user stories, estimate and assign story points and track stories using a kanban board. Incorporate Scrum artifacts, events, and benefits.
  • How to create burndown charts to forecast the ability to meet a sprint goal. Use metrics to enhance performance, productivity, and client satisfaction.

Introduction to User Experience

  • What's UX and why do we need it?
  • When do we need UX, who does UX and how do we do UX
  • Discuss the UX practice in terms of commonly used tools, challenges and wins
  • Experiment the phases of a UX project (research, Ideation, prototyping and testing) and how they relate to each other

Building Web Applications in Django

  • Describe and build a data model in Django
  • Apply Django model query and template tags/code of Django Template Language (DTL)
  • Define Class, Instance, Method
  • Build forms in HTML

Automated Software Testing: Unit Testing, Coverage Criteria and Design for Testability

  • How to test any software system using current state-of-the-arttechniques
  • How to derive test cases that deal with exceptional, corner, and bad-weather cases by means of several different techniques
  • The limitations of current testing techniques and how to decide on the best testing strategies for a given context
  • How to develop testable architectures and to write maintainable test code

Automated Software Testing: Model and State-based Testing

  • The key ideas behind advanced software testing techniques, such as mutation and property-based testing
  • The current state-of-the-art in software testing research, such as the usage of artificial intelligence to automate testing activities
  • The limitations of current testing techniques, and how todetermine the best testing strategies for a given context

End semester exam at Calcey

Calcey Certification

Internship

Applications for the program are now closed.

For more details, email us on springboard@calcey.com

Team Springboard reserves the right to amend the program curriculum and/or its contents in the interest of ensuring that a high standard of quality is maintained throughout.

FAQs

  • Are there any prerequisites to apply for a Springboard scholarship?

    Not really. All you need is a strong interest in learning to code, and since this is a full time program, 4-5 hours per day to set aside for learning.

    However, given the curriculum and the program’s aims, it will be of most use to individuals in the 16-24 age group who are often students, and have not yet committed to a career path.

  • How will the program be conducted?

    Springboard will consist of high quality MOOCs from the world’s best universities or institutions, and will be supplemented by mentoring sessions with Calcey's own engineering leaders. These mentorship sessions may be conducted on-site at Calcey HQ or virtually.

    You will need a computing device and a working internet connection to participate. However, we will consider providing devices and connections to the most deserving students based on their personal circumstances. Calcey Springboard reserves the right to decide in this regard, and its decision is final.

  • Is Springboard actually 'free'?

    Yes, Springboard is completely funded by its chief sponsor Calcey, and Springboard will pay for the verified credentials of each and every learner provided they actively work towards completing the program within the stipulated time period.

  • How will learners be selected for the program?

    A cognitive test will be conducted online, through which the first cohort will be selected.

    Any form of canvassing, either directly or indirectly, will not be entertained and will have no impact on the screening process.

  • Will the scholarship be awarded as long as you pass the cognitive test?

    Based on the number of applicants who pass the cognitive test, we reserve the right to conduct more aptitude test(s) until we arrive at the maximum number of applicants who can be accommodated in a cohort.

  • How is the completion of the program determined?

    Tests will be conducted at the end of each semester. It is mandatory to pass the test in order to proceed to the next semester. Repeat exams will not be held.

  • Is an internship guaranteed after the completion of the program?

    No, there is no guarantee. However, we will try our best to provide internships at Calcey for those who successfully complete the program. In the event we cannot provide an internship to a learner, we will guide and direct them to other companies in our industry.

  • Got more questions?