ontopIT Academy is a fully free workforce-development program we are developing for underserved and underemployed young people aged 18–24, starting in Brooklyn, New York. It combines technology training with soccer, cycling and running, mentoring from working engineers, and preparation for real employment.
Photos: a community group ride in Brooklyn, a coding workshop, a youth football tournament and founder Kenny Akpan racing a London triathlon. Not Academy cohorts.
The Academy is ontopIT's community investment. Our engineers would teach and mentor, sport would build the habits and peer community that keep people going, and employer partners would help turn new skills into real opportunities.
The pilot will focus on Brooklyn. We will recruit young people and underprivileged applicants from four neighbourhoods first, build the model there with local partners, and then branch out across New York City.
Starting close to home means sessions within reach of participants, sport in public parks and playgrounds such as Prospect Park, and partnerships with the community organisations people already trust.
Pilot neighbourhoods
Then across Brooklyn, followed by the wider New York City area.
London is a future aspiration for exchange or expansion once the New York pilot is established. Schedule and staffing are subject to confirmation.
Sport is a scheduled, core part of the program, not an optional extra. Each pillar supports the other two.
Practical technical skills taught by working engineers through real projects.
Soccer, cycling and running as core scheduled components of every week.
The professional foundation that turns skills into opportunity.
The outcome we are working toward is confident young adults with real skills, healthy routines, a professional network and a credible next step.
Both tracks are built around projects reviewed by mentors. Module order and timing are proposed and may change as the program is finalised.
From how the web works to building and deploying a complete application. Each stage ends with a project for the participant's portfolio.
A practical course in using and building with AI responsibly. Participants leave proficient with AI tools such as Anthropic’s Claude: using it to design and build software solutions to real problems, and using the Claude desktop app and other tools confidently in everyday work and life.
Soccer, cycling and running build physical wellbeing, teamwork, discipline and resilience. Each sport also becomes a real student project, so the data participants generate on the field powers what they build on screen.
Sport is how we connect with young people in the first place. Founder Kenny Akpan has ridden for charity across Africa every year for the past five years, as well as in New York City, and designed the Academy on the belief that sport drives engagement and helps participants stay the course. Read his story
Indoor sessions on smart trainers bring cycling into the classroom: live power, speed and distance on screen, the same kind of data participants will learn to collect, chart and build apps with.
Small-sided games build communication, trust and the habit of playing a role in a team, the same skills software teams rely on.
points = wins * 3 + draws
Group rides that build week by week teach pacing, endurance and planning, the patience it takes to work through a hard problem.
avgSpeed = distance / movingTime
A run club open to complete beginners, building gradually toward a first 5K. Small, consistent wins add up, in running and in learning to code.
pace = time / distance // min per kmActivities would be adapted for different fitness levels and accessibility needs. Sessions will use publicly accessible parks and playgrounds across New York City, such as Prospect Park. Equipment will be confirmed with the pilot.
An expression of interest, a conversation about goals and a short, friendly skills check. No prior coding needed.
Weekly coding sessions with engineers alongside scheduled soccer, cycling and running.
Portfolio projects, including the sport-to-code builds, reviewed by mentors.
CVs, portfolios, mock interviews, communication practice and introductions to employer partners.
Alumni support and access to future opportunities after the cohort ends.
| Day | Session one | Session two |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | CODEConcepts and live coding | MOVERun club |
| Tuesday | CODEGuided practice in pairs | BUILDMentor check-ins |
| Wednesday | MOVESoccer | CODEProject work |
| Thursday | CODEApplied AI workshop | BUILDCommunication and career skills |
| Weekend | MOVEGroup cycling ride | BUILDDemo of the week's project |
The Academy is free. We are planning practical support so cost and circumstance do not decide who can take part.
We envision continued support after the 12 weeks: mentoring, portfolio feedback, interview preparation and introductions to employer partners as those partnerships are formed.
Twelve weeks is a strong start, not a guarantee of a software engineering job. We will be clear with participants about what the program can and cannot do, and we will help each person find a realistic next step, whether that is further study, an apprenticeship, entry-level work or freelance projects.
Aged 18–24 and interested? Join the interest list to hear when details are confirmed. This is not an application.
Help shape hiring and paid apprenticeship pathways, which are currently being developed.
Fund a cohort, mentor, help with recruitment or provide in-kind support.