Learn How Students Develop Future AI Tech at Danoffice IT

At være med i front i udviklingen af vores fælles fremtid ligger i vores DNA. Den seneste vogn, vi har koblet på udviklingstoget i Danoffice IT er vores hastigt vækstende AI-forretning.

AI skaber stor forandring – især for de kommende generationer. Netop derfor skal de høres og involveres, når vi skaber morgendagens fremskridt. Nutidens unge er vores fremtid, og derfor er de nu med i udviklingen af vores AI-løsninger.

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Taking responsibility…

Contributing to the future is about taking responsibility on many parameters. We take responsibility for developing the technology of the future, but just as important is that we take responsibility for shaping and developing the talents of the future. The people who will carry the torch forward – they need to be well-equipped.

That is precisely why Danoffice IT’s AI Team has launched a collaboration with several educational institutions to involve tomorrow's IT stars in the development of the solutions that will shape all of our everyday lives in the future. And make no mistake – the learning and experience go both ways.

"Our collaboration is a great benefit on both sides of the table. We gain access to a huge resource of energy, efficiency, and completely fresh frontline knowledge. The young people, on the other hand, gain access to tools and experiences that they would in no way be able to obtain from the school desk. The orientation that these young digital natives possess, and the constant influx of the latest knowledge they receive – that is absolutely invaluable. They simply know things we don't," says Leif Elgaard Høj, Head of AI at Danoffice IT.

Leif Elgaard Høj, Head of AI i Danoffice IT.

Down into the engine room

In the collaboration with the young students, Leif and his team go all the way. "If the collaboration is to create value for both parties, then we have to be serious. Today, we have two large teams of 16 students who dedicate a full 50% of their study time to doing agile development for us. In addition, four are writing their master's thesis – and another four are student employees. Therefore, we also take them right down into the engine room and involve them in some of our newest and most complex solutions," explains Leif Elgaard Høj. The specific projects are large, complex solutions for existing customers that we would like to have extra, unbiased eyes on. "We come with an actual product that we would like the students to develop further. We create a space for agile development where there is room both to run into a wall and to celebrate shared progress."

The employees of the future

"We can learn a great deal from them, and they can learn a great deal from us," says Leif, emphasizing that there is a clear mission for the collaboration. On a daily basis, Leif's colleague, Mateusz Dyduch, AI Specialist at Danoffice IT, is the key contact and Project Owner for the young people, and he is also enthusiastic:

"Having over 20 students connected in total is not something you achieve while sleeping, but we see it as a food chain for developing new talents. After all, we are looking at potentially future employees. We give them tools and skills, and we equip them and take responsibility for helping to mature them," says Mateusz, who adds that the new relationship began with the young people having to choose Danoffice IT.

"We took a concrete project with a large food producer and pitched it to a large group of students. This was followed by a speed-dating process, so we have really been through a thorough process and a screening to find the right match and assemble the right team,"

Mateusz Mateusz , AI Specialist i Danoffice IT

Together for the future

The collaboration involves over 20 students, who are divided into 2 SCRUM teams, coordinated by Project Owner, Mateusz Dyduch, AI Specialist at Danoffice IT. The AI team already has four students attached, so in total the department now houses 24 young people. The project runs for six months and involves two major AI solutions that Danoffice IT has already developed for two large customers.

A storm of applications

Leif Elgaard Høj, Head of AI at Danoffice IT, acknowledges that from an outside perspective, involving a total of 24 young people in production and in a busy everyday life in a global organization may seem overwhelming, but it is well worth the effort.

"We delegate a great deal of responsibility. The two teams are responsible for outlining the direction for the next versions of the two specific solutions," he says, and continues: "In Danoffice IT's AI Team, we have some of the most prominent AI specialists in the industry, so we certainly know our stuff. But here, our own ideas are held up against the latest theory and the newest trends from research, and that creates a solid synergy. And we should also not forget the career aspect. We want to have the best candidates in-house, and already the collaboration has generated a storm of applications."

We can and we will!

Taking care of the IT talents of the future is not new to Leif Elgaard Høj. In his private life, he has also been a long-time volunteer in the Danish Coding Pirates network, which is about inspiring children and young people to pursue careers in IT and technology. He has brought that aspect with him into Danoffice IT, and it is a perfect match with our vision of contributing to the development of future talents.

"We give the young people a huge gift in working with real-world solutions – and we get the country's sharpest minds to help us develop our solutions. It requires effort, but it is important that someone takes on this responsibility. From our side, we see it this way: We can and we will – and everyone can do the same," concludes Leif Elgaard Høj, Head of AI, Danoffice IT.