Balancing technical growth with staying motivated, accessing the right resources, finding time, and connecting with experts—while juggling daily tasks and personal obligations—can feel overwhelming. In fact, it’s often discouraging enough to stop before even starting. But at Schibsted Tech Polska, we’ve cracked the code and made learning new technology easier for anyone driven to grow.
Well, we did. And we are really proud of how it worked as we enter in the 10th year since the Tech Jump program was founded in our organisation. Tech Jump program, a six-month continuous initiative designed to foster technical skill development for our employees. The program empowers participants to pursue their own learning paths, guided by personal motivation and areas of interest. It’s built around voluntary one-on-one mentorship, pairing mentors and mentees for consistent collaboration. Schibsted Tech Polska supports the process by providing time, resources, and a platform for knowledge exchange.
This mentorship program allows employees to share their expertise, helping others achieve their goals. Mentors and mentees choose the focus areas together, which can range from tackling technical challenges to enhancing project management skills. Tech Jump strengthens our organisational culture and promotes growth by fostering knowledge-sharing within the flow of our daily work. At Schibsted Tech Polska, this culture is the foundation of our success. The skills and expertise gained aren’t confined to individuals—they’re shared and nurtured throughout the company.
As Jakub Gwóźdź, Software Engineer mentor and mentee, humorously explains, Tech Jump offers a unique opportunity: “Since I was already attending Tech Jump both as a mentee and a mentor (I mean, on two different editions, not self-service 😛), I’d like to additionally advertise it to everyone. Imagine a young person that starts their first job. They can land in a team that does the real Java, or the team that does the script version. And that decides their career for the next 45 years, right? WRONG! Thanks to Tech Jump, anyone as a mentee can learn new skills, work on exciting projects, extend their network, and even land new positions internally. And mentors also benefit—mentoring, working on projects, fighting imposter syndrome, and gaining the satisfaction of seeing their mentees succeed.“
And we have the numbers to back this up: 190 employees have participated, contributing a staggering 18,000 working hours to mutual development as mentors and mentees. Knowledge-sharing here isn’t just a catchphrase—it’s actively supported by the business, as Katarzyna Lach, People Business Partner at STP, points out.
At the program’s outset, mentors and mentees work together to define their goals. This flexibility allows Tech Jump to adapt to individual needs, providing clear benefits for both the participants and the company. As Michał Jaeschke, Senior Engineering Manager, puts it: “As a mentor, I can confirm that learning is a two-way journey. Teaching forces you to assess details, engage with new trends, and challenge the status quo.”
Maciej Walczyński, Senior Engineering Manager, highlights that Tech Jump is designed with a primary focus on fostering personal development – “Participating in Tech Jump can be a transformative experience for both newcomers and experienced professionals alike. Having both mentored and recently participated in one of these programs, I found that its structured approach consistently pushes you beyond your comfort zone. This constant need to learn and adapt brings out personal growth, not just in technical skills but in areas like resilience and self-motivation. The mix of external accountability and internal discipline keeps you on track. The biggest payoff? That feeling of accomplishment and the drive to keep improving, which is especially valuable in a fast-evolving industry like tech.“
Tech Jump not only fosters individual and tech growth but also builds stronger, more integrated teams prepared for future challenges. At Schibsted Tech Polska, we see knowledge sharing as an investment in the future, benefiting employees and the company alike. Cross-unit and cross-level pairings within the program create a sense of belonging and reveal the individual impact each person can have within the organisation.
One unlikely pairing was Natalia Wąsik, from Finance, and Kamil Stachowicz, a software developer for Schibsted Marketing Solutions. “Without Tech Jump, we never would’ve worked together,” Natalia reflects. “Yet Kamil’s mentoring has significantly helped with my daily work and unlocked skills that would’ve taken me years to develop on my own.“
Tech Jump stands apart from typical corporate training programs. Its strength lies in individual drive, the extensive support network from mentors and the business, and the connections it fosters across the organisation. Just like Schibsted Tech Polska itself, Tech Jump is far from your ordinary corporate experience.
