Línea Directa launches the third 'Big Ideas' Hackathon in search of young talent
• 'Big Ideas', the Línea Directa digital Hackathon for college students, will be held online through video conferences and collaborative platforms this year, in response to the current situation.
• Participants will respond to several key challenges facing the insurance sector in a virtual Hackathon, implementing the latest creativity and innovation techniques, such as agile methodologies, rapid prototyping and design thinking.
• Each member of the winning team will receive up to 1,500 euros to continue their training. They will also be eligible for paid internships of between 6 and 12 months, with the possibility of joining the company through its Young Talent scholarship programme.
• Candidates should register by 1 July at: www.bigideas.lineadirecta.com. The 40 finalists will participate in the Hackathon, where they will have to defend the ideas developed by their team before a jury drawn from the company's management team.
• 'Big Ideas' is part of Línea Directa's commitment to bring university students closer to the world of work and contribute to their employability, enhancing practical training that will enable them to enter the employment market.
Madrid, 8 June 2020.- Making the leap into the world of work is one of the main challenges facing young people at this time of enormous change and uncertainty. Being trained and having the skills and competencies most in demand by companies –teamwork, design thinking and mastery of new technology– is now more important than ever for achieving that first professional experience.
As a sign of its commitment to young talent, Línea Directa Aseguradora has launched its third "Big Ideas", a creative, online digital Hackathon for university students and recent graduates, mainly in STEM disciplines (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics). In the Hackathon, our young talent addresses challenges associated with the digitisation of the insurance sector, through innovative and disruptive ideas. The objective is for the participants to find the best solutions for the company's challenges in relation to the digital user experience for motor, home and health insurance.
At a time of accelerated digitisation and new working methodologies shaping the present and future of the labour market, participants must respond to challenges that test their ability to "think outside the box". This involves applying agile and design thinking methodologies, along with other valuable knowledge much in demand in today's organisations. Participants will be mentored by Línea Directa managers and will be able to attend three masterclasses during the Hackathon, related to technological knowledge and the digital transformation.
Mar Garre, Head of People and Internal Communication, said: "With this initiative, which is now in its third year, we are committed to developing young people and improving their employability. We are promoting the creation of new jobs for STEM and digital profiles within the company's digital transformation".
To adapt to the current COVID-19 pandemic, this year's Hackathon will be digital and online. This will make it a much more collaborative event, allowing students from all over Spain to get involved.
Everyone interested in participating should register on the www.bigideas.lineadirecta.com website by 1 July.
To take part in the Hackathon, students have to use a Tweet Pitch (250 characters) to say how they would approach their preferred challenge:
1. New technologies to improve the customer experience: new technologies can improve the customer experience, but how can we exploit them in processing accidents (car or home) or in health insurance queries?
2. The connected car at the service of society: our driving habits have a direct impact on our day-to-day lives as drivers and on society. How can connected cars help improve these habits and benefit our safety and the safety of other drivers?
3. Getting closer to customers through digitisation: we want to be, and can get, closer to our customers through recurring services that add value for them in their day-to-day lives (beyond requests for services for specific). Digitisation offers us multiple opportunities for this. How can we look after and improve our ongoing relationships with our customers through digitisation?
The 40 finalists selected will take part in the digital Hackathon on the weekend of 10-12 July. During this online event, they will defend their ideas in groups before a jury comprising members of Línea Directa's management team. The criteria for choosing the winners include: the originality of the prototype idea; the degree of innovation within the insurance sector; the quality of the presentation; the change in and improvement of the customer experience; and the team's ability to deliver a "wow" effect on the jury.
Each member of the Hackathon's winning team will receive up to €1,500 to continue their development. The second prize is up to €500 per team member for their development. The team in third place will be able to apply for assistance of up to 150 euros for regulated training and associated expenses.
At a time of such great uncertainty for recent graduates, the finalists will have the fantastic opportunity of accessing the company's paid 6-month and 12-month internship programme, with the possibility of joining the company at the end of this period, through its Young Talent scholarship programme.