Blue Road Academy: Advancing the Salesforce careers of newcomers

The seeds of Blue Road Academy were initially sown in the Netherlands in 2018, when Gaspar Rodriguez, Co-Founder, Managing Director and Salesforce Golden Hoodie winner, saw a potential solution to two problems: ‘There were so many underemployed and unemployed people in the Netherlands, struggling to find jobs they were excited about or that met their ambitions. Yet there was such high demand for talent in the Salesforce ecosystem, with companies struggling to find new admins, consultants and developers. My career has always centred around creating lasting social impact, so I saw the opportunity to skill up newcomers in their host country, fill this need and make a big difference.’

Known initially as RefugeeForce, the first training programme ran in Amsterdam, then quickly expanded to Berlin. ‘Germany was the natural next choice as there’s strong public support for immigration and a high number of newcomers without work,’ explains Gaspar. ‘Berlin is a well-known tech hub which means people there are actively looking for Salesforce professionals and new talent, so it was the perfect place.’

In early 2022, Gaspar secured a partnership with LDN Apprenticeships to bring the programme to London. They applied for a City of London grant called the Stride Talent Development Fund, which allowed the delivery of two cohorts to newcomers living in South London. ‘The terms of our funding limited us to a very specific geography but the programme was as popular as ever. One cohort ran from January to February, and the second ran from May to June. Currently, we’re at a pause in the UK as we get new partners on board, but we’re hoping to pick back up in 2023. In Germany, however, we’re really scaling up.’

As part of Salesforce's commitment to economic opportunity for all, the programme is set to expand to three more German cities in 2023. ‘We’ve completed the second cohort in Berlin, and now Munich, Hamburg and Frankfurt are all on the roadmap. With the support of private foundations, we’re expanding in the Netherlands too, to Eindhoven, Arnhem and Groningen. We see lots of newcomers being re-settled outside major cities, and we want to bring our programme to them. Some of these places have few options for newcomers so we know we can make a positive impact.’

There’s no doubt that Blue Road Academy is making a truly life-changing difference to newcomers. Take, for example, Frahnaz Mohammadi, an Afghanistan refugee who was given a complementary ticket to Trailhead Berlin Bootcamp following her training, and left having secured a new job with a media company. Then there’s Sima Samara, whose inspirational story featured during the Dreamforce main keynote by Marc Benioff, when she won a coveted Golden Hoodie.

Another graduate, Eyad Ibrahim Agha, left Syria as his family had serious concerns about his safety. ‘It wasn’t my choice to leave but I had no say. Homs, where I grew up, became the location for clashes between the Syrian regime and the rebels. As well as the risk of being arrested for activism, it was often a big ball of fire.’

Eyad travelled to Germany, via Egypt and Italy, where he was granted asylum and soon started a Masters degree. ‘It was a very challenging time emotionally, mentally and physically. I had health setbacks, and many difficult, painful days. But I was lucky to have a great support network of friends who encouraged me not to give up.

‘During my studies, I’d become part of the first cohort of ReDI School Salesforce Fundamentals, but my energy was too dispersed to complete it. However, I’d fallen in love with Salesforce and knew my journey hadn’t finished. Once I graduated, peers from ReDI School told me about Blue Road Academy and I enrolled on the course. In less than a month I was certified and three weeks after that, I was offered my first job. In fact, I had two job offers and ended up turning down one of the top ten consulting firms in the world for a smaller digital solutions company.’

As a Junior Salesforce Administrator, Eyad now feels his future offers endless possibilities. ‘I feel so grateful and privileged. Everything I worked and hoped for has connected. I’m absolutely passionate about giving back, especially as I’ve seen people fleeing from danger with nothing but the clothes on their back, so I know firsthand what a difference volunteering can make. Amongst other things, I volunteer as a barista in the café where I live, have a role in the Give Something Back to Berlin initiative, represented ReDI School in the past as an ambassador and am now an ambassador for Blue Road Academy. I’m really happy and excited about what the future holds.’

Ozge Oz also graduated from Blue Road Academy, and is a Next Generation Trailblazer award winner who grew up in Turkey. She spent 17 years as a teacher and vice-principal, before making the decision to switch to tech. ‘Political problems and safety issues led me to come to the UK with my family,’ Ozge explains. ‘Although I have three bachelor degrees and a Masters in Gifted Education (uncompleted as I couldn’t return home), securing training and work can be challenging as an asylum seeker. However, Blue Road Academy offered a great chance to discover if I could be successful in a Salesforce role.’

It’s a route that has given Ozge much more than she expected. ‘I love community culture so, since finding out about Salesforce, I’ve participated in lots of events, moderated at Automation Dreamin’, and set up a WhatsApp group with my husband to tell others in the Turkish community about training, get-togethers and job opportunities. The group has been so popular, it’s quickly grown from five people to over 50. I’m also an ambassador for Blue Road Academy, mentoring new applicants, checking their CV and helping them choose career paths. There’s more to Salesforce than just Admin and Developer roles, but I know from experience how tricky it can be to decide which path to follow at first.’

Getting paid employment has had its twists and turns for Ozge, but she has recently secured a Functional Consultant role at a leading consultancy. ‘I’m a team person who likes collaborative environments, so I’m excited to achieve as much as I can in my new role. Long-term, my dream is to open my own non-profit organisation to help the career development of diverse people. My life was so different before, and it’s rare to find people who really understand the practical implications and mental health toll, so I know I can offer a lot of support to other newcomers.’ 

Applications to the Blue Road Academy programme continue to boom, with a global acceptance rate of just 20%. ‘Over 1100 candidates have applied so far, in a gender split of 20% female and 80% male, and we’ve been able to accept 204, due to capacity more than potential. We’ve got an ’even split’ target when it comes to men and women, so we’re slowly overcorrecting and we’re currently at around 33% women and 67% men. If we could train more people, we would but, above all else, we’ll always concentrate on employability from a legal and professional perspective.‘

Around 80% of applicants discover the programme via word of mouth from existing candidates. ‘It’s something we’re very proud of. You hear alumni encouraging friends and family to join all the time, which is wonderful. The application process is straightforward. People apply directly on our website, and we do an eligibility review to check they have the right background for the programme, and understand the commitment they’re making. Then we ask them to look at a generic business case study, which assesses how comfortable they are handling data, numbers and Excel, as well as their communication style and level of English. The final step is an interview around their attitudes and ambitions to become a Salesforce professional.’

Once accepted, the core programme is six weeks long, which includes 100 hours in the classroom and 50 hours of self-paced e-learning using Trailhead. Following this, candidates study for the Salesforce Admin certification, with around 60% passing. ‘Our course includes soft skills and employability training, concentrating on building up personal brands, improving LinkedIn profiles and adding professional headshots, as well as helping with CVs. We also match people to a Salesforce mentor for three months to help them plan their career path. It means that candidates feel confident applying for jobs, but are also in a great position to be headhunted by recruiters. We provide all this, plus travel and material costs, for each participant, free of charge.’

Blue Road Academy works directly with official recruitment partners, a selected group of companies including Merkle, EPAM and Accenture, that contribute an annual fee to hire directly from the talent pool. ‘These companies are committed to diversity and focused on creating scalable talent pipelines. They get a first look at new CVs and can hire as many people as they wish - often recruiting up to three from each cohort.

‘We’ve found that some of our participants get interviews and jobs almost immediately, others keep trying a little longer, and some choose to pursue non-Salesforce roles. But the need for digital talent has never been greater, so around 70% find their home in the Salesforce ecosystem. The opportunities are endless.’

One of the things Gaspar is most proud of is the sense of community that Blue Road Academy creates: ‘It’s so beyond what I expected. We set up an alumni community to provide continuous learning and valuable connections, but people are really helping each other get jobs. They’re putting their peers’ CVs forward and talking to their employers about hiring from us, always spreading the word. Seeing this network effect is amazing.‘

Going forwards, Blue Road Academy’s vision is clear: ‘We want to change the way newcomers are perceived in their host country and promote the incredible skills they bring with them. Our aim is to train 10,000 newcomers by 2030, and help them find meaningful work. My call to action for companies is to be open to recruiting from diverse pools of talent. You won’t be disappointed!’