Renoma Kraków supports the local IT market – an interview with Marcin Szydełko, Director of Engineering & Site Lead GlobalLogic Kraków

The IT sector in Kraków is thriving and actively supports companies operating worldwide across various industries. What sets it apart and makes it so trusted? What challenges will it face in 2023 and the following years? We discuss this with Marcin Szydełko, Director of Engineering & Site Manager at GlobalLogic Kraków.

Many regions and cities around the world aspire to the title of a new or second Silicon Valley. This is often mentioned in the context of the IT sector’s growth in Kraków. What do you think about such comparisons?

Marcin Szydełko, Director of Engineering & Site Lead at GlobalLogic Kraków: The strength and goals of the Kraków IT sector lie elsewhere. Aspiring to be called the second Silicon Valley sounds beautiful, but it’s just a nice slogan. Conversely, Kraków consistently strengthens its position as a diversified hub capable of responding to every need in the IT market, distinguished by the wide pool of local talent. The uniqueness of the sector stems from the fact that today it can effectively create low-level software for one group of clients while also executing complex projects for the automotive industry or developing cloud solutions used by hundreds of thousands of users worldwide. The opportunity for close collaboration with companies from the United States, often operating in Silicon Valley, confirms the high level of specialization of firms in Kraków.

What is unique about the pool of specialists working in Kraków?

MS: Its great diversity and broad know-how. We’re talking about the availability of talent possessing skills needed in various areas and technologies. There are no projects today that an external organization could not accomplish with the support of technology companies operating in Kraków. This is not new, as the region has stood out on the IT map of the country and Europe for many years. A large number of organizations know well that they can address their needs here and rely on support. The local IT community consists of engineers with varying levels of professional and life experience, representing different cultures and skill profiles, who perfectly complement each other and create well-collaborating, interdisciplinary project teams.

Does the Kraków IT sector currently feel any shortages?

The demand for support from technology companies and specialists is growing each year, impacting the needs of the IT industry. There are certainly still noticeable shortages of embedded and automotive specialists in Kraków. We have a stable workforce in the telecom area and a wealth of JAVA specialists as well as manual and automated testers. This is due to several different reasons. Attractive rates for JAVA programmers attracted many young people in recent years, for whom the universality of the language and the resulting lack of need for a narrow specialization were a significant advantage. Today, many of them, having gained experience, are starting to narrow their focus to specific technologies or sectors.

Embedded is one of those areas - it is much more demanding, particularly in terms of skills in electronics or hardware specifics. Automotive, on the other hand, is a specific branch of embedded. Both require time and commitment to achieve the particular level of specialization needed for projects carried out for organizations.

Does high competition help or hinder local companies in their development? Kraków is the second-largest market in Poland, with over 500 technology firms operating here.

Kraków has a good reputation as a city, which attracts many external clients. More and more organizations worldwide are aware or have heard about the potential of the local sector and its specialists. Competition between companies operating in such a business environment seems short-sighted and not very profitable. All IT companies know well that the market is rich in specialists with specific profiles and also has a high demand for engineers with narrow specializations. Thus, the solution lies in investing in the development of talent to educate and help develop the next generation of professionals who will meet these needs.

It can be said that competitive struggle has already reached its peak. We have learned to train employees and assist them in their development. Active academies or programmes enabling retraining and starting a career in the IT sector are functioning effectively. Universities in Kraków have shown great openness to cooperate with IT companies. They adapt their programs to meet the contemporary job market's requirements, thus educating specialists who quickly begin to achieve professional success. This helps the local market grow.

What else must the Kraków IT sector contend with today?

The process of educating specialized personnel requires time and commitment from companies. Many of them feel the impact of price competition from other areas developing towards IT. Competing in this field with countries in Asia, for example, makes no sense, which is why organizations operating in Kraków focus on quality. This way, they reach clients who care about effective task execution and project development while simultaneously optimizing costs. Gaining an advantage in this area is easier because the region is one of the most attractive places for relocation, thus attracting engineers from various parts of the country and other countries. At the same time, it now offers salaries on par with Western countries, to name a few Portugal or Spain. This translates into its continuous, stable growth and enhanced reputation.

Today, the local IT community is already an international environment. The diversity of perspectives influences numerous opportunities for professional development and aids in achieving success in international collaboration. Therefore, companies in Kraków calmly respond to reports of abrupt changes in the IT sector across the ocean because they know they will be able to meet their partners' changing needs.

How do you build a team of 600 in such conditions?

We must face certain challenges, but the location, structure, and scope of the projects undertaken serve as strong cards encouraging engineers to develop their careers in Kraków and at GlobalLogic itself. We attract people from abroad, encourage an increasing number of women to work in IT, and actively assist individuals from outside the industry in starting their journey in the IT sector. We offer practical knowledge to students, who get to know the realities of working on projects through internship programs. We also build a reputation that has gained the trust of many Ukrainian engineers who have arrived in Poland in recent times. With the right attitude, and in such an attractive place as Kraków, building a growing team is a pure pleasure.

Thank you for the conversation.

GlobalLogic is a leader in the digital engineering industry and part of the Hitachi capital group. It helps brands create innovative products and platforms while building their experience in today’s world.