Denmark has a tech-startup environment that is developing at explosive rates. Demand for students and staff with IT skills has grown to such an extent that lack of the right skills is the biggest growth inhibitor for Denmark and for companies.

Start ups at career fair

The office community Symbion houses more than 250 entrepreneurship companies, and several of these are having trouble finding skilled people to help build and grow their business. Therefore, it was a valuable opportunity, as Symbion, thanks to a partnership with Copenhagen Science City, got an opportunity to attend the University of Copenhagen’s annual career fair for computer science students.

Major challenges in minor firms

Symbions main message to students was, that a job with a startup offers career opportunities that students or recent graduates will not usually experience within established and larger companies. The opportunity to shoulder big responsibilities from day one, the ability to influence the work processes and, not least, the opportunity to be part of an innovative environment with a short path from idea to action is hard to find in large companies.

Hard competition for students

The career fair took place at DIKU (Department of Computer Science, University of Copenhagen) in Copenhagen Science City, and it was a popular event. The students were highly sought after, and everyone from authorities like SKAT, the Danish Tax Authorities, to major tech companies and consultancy houses attempted to lure the students with both merchandise and Virtual Reality experiences. Even had there been twice as many students, the participating companies would still want to hire more.

Unique opportunity for representative of the small

In such a competitive field, it is difficult for the smaller tech startups, such as those Symbion represent, to get attention for their proposition. The larger and more dominant players drown out their voices.Consequently, Symbion is very grateful to CSC for the opportunity to present job offers from smaller tech startups. Maybe these are the next fortune 500 tech companies in Denmark?

Written by Peter Munkholm Nielsen Community Builder, Symbion and Pernille Lundgreen Communications Officer, Symbion.