42 Luxembourg: Offering New Opportunities at the Heart of Europe
Located at the heart of Europe, sharing borders with Belgium, France and Germany, Luxembourg is renowned to be rather small in size, dynamic economically and known for its high quality of life. Previously reliant on the steel industry, the economy gradually transitioned towards a tertiary sector-based model in the 1980s, and the country now ambitions to become an IT-nation. It was with that objective in mind that Luxembourg’s Ministry of Education, Children, and Youth first approached 42 to discuss the possibility of opening a campus in the country back in 2019.
Over the last few years, Luxembourg has gone to great lengths to become more of a digital nation. Government programs to help companies transition to digital have increased significantly, many administrations in the country have become e-administrations, and the country has managed to attract big tech companies year after year. Amazon, Tata Consultancy, IBM, Sogeti, Fujitsu or Microsoft are just a few examples of companies who have set up camp in the country in recent years. While this gradual switch towards being an IT nation in its own right has had its positive effects on the economy and the general attractiveness of Luxembourg, it has also come with its lot of issues, the main one being workforce shortage.
“Today in Luxembourg, 42% of all vacant jobs are tech/IT-related” Serge Linckels, managing director of 42 Luxembourg tells us. With staggering numbers like this, it does not come as a surprise that Luxembourg’s government has been trying to diversify the country’s tech-education for years. One of the initiatives launched to address this shortage was the foundation of the Digital Learning Hub (DLH), an education hub designed to enable career transitioning into IT. Bringing 42 into such an ecosystem was, naturally, always an objective and the 42 Luxembourg campus was ultimately announced in May 2022, with significant anticipation from local companies.
“Since the initial announcement, we’ve met with approximately 250 different local companies, and all of them were incredibly positive about the whole project. Many of them told us that 42 was exactly what we needed to produce IT talents here in Luxembourg!” — Serge Linckels, managing director of 42 Luxembourg.
Companies’ enthusiasm for the project did not stop there, however. Even though 42 Luxembourg only recently held its first two Piscines, and had its first kick-off in February 2024, many local companies are already lining up to hire 42 Luxembourg’s students. This has in turn prompted the team to start working on specific programs with the National Employment Agency, specifically to suit 42 Luxembourg’s students’ needs. This includes creating an equivalent to the french “alternance” program in Luxembourg, which allows students to work part-time during their studies.
“It is almost like companies want to “book” our students in advance, I’ve never seen anything like it! […] All jokes aside, their support has been nothing short of phenomenal.” — Serge Linckels.
In addition to this favorable economic environment, 42 Luxembourg students will have the luxury of taking advantage of Luxembourg’s international setting.
“Luxembourg’s uniqueness lies in how international we are! We might be a small country, but we have people from all across Europe, and we’re constantly speaking 4 different languages: English, French, German and of course, Luxembourgish. We’re a highly inclusive place, and I think our students will benefit greatly from it.” — Serge Linckels.
