Top 10 Tech Apprenticeships, Internships and Entry-Level Jobs in Colombia in 2026

Table of Contents

• Finding your first stop in Colombia’s tech scene
• Nucamp AI & Coding Bootcamps
• SENA Apprenticeships
• Mercado Libre
• Globant
• VélezReyes Tech Fellowship
• Laboratoria
• Soy Henry
• Bancolombia Tech Internships
• Salesforce Solution Engineering Internship
• Junior Data Analyst and QA Roles
• How to choose your route
• Frequently Asked Questions

Nucamp AI & Coding Bootcamps

For career changers in Bogotá, Medellín, or Cali who can’t tap SENA or big-university internships, Nucamp functions like an express bus: a structured, time-boxed route into junior roles in 4-11 months instead of several years. It’s an international online bootcamp that prices tuition in Colombian pesos and supports students through local meetup communities.

Flagship AI and backend tracks

Nucamp’s Colombia-focused lineup covers both AI product-building and the backend foundations that feed machine learning pipelines. Core programs include intensive, part-time options that fit around work or university schedules.

Compared with many international bootcamps, where full stacks can cost well above the equivalent of COP $30,000,000, these ranges from COP $8,496,000-$15,920,000 (plus options like shorter web, mobile, and cybersecurity tracks) are deliberately positioned as “affordable but serious.” Nucamp supplements this with flexible payment plans and community-based learning, echoed in its own career and internship guides that emphasize accessibility for working adults.

Outcomes are competitive for the price point: an employment rate around 78%, graduation rate near 75%, and a 4.5/5 Trustpilot rating from roughly 398 reviews, with about 80% five-star feedback. Graduates in Colombia commonly aim for roles like Junior Python Developer, Junior Data Engineer, or Cloud/DevOps Associate, earning in the ballpark of COP $3,000,000-$5,000,000 per month in Bogotá and Medellín.

Who this route fits in Colombia

• Working adults who need part-time, remote-friendly training rather than full-time study.
• Self-taught learners who want structured projects and 1:1 career coaching to cross the gap into nearshore firms like Globant, Endava, or BairesDev.
• Students outside elite universities who still want to compete in hubs that, as Colombia tech hiring overviews note, are increasingly integrated into US and European engineering teams.

If you’re starting from a non-traditional background but can commit evenings and weekends, Nucamp offers a clear, time-bound path from “learning in isolation” to shipping portfolio-grade projects that match what Colombian employers actually deploy in production.

SENA Apprenticeships

For thousands of SENA students, the first real “stop” in tech isn’t a glamorous internship in a glass tower in Bogotá - it’s the Contrato de Aprendizaje. After the labor reform under Law 2466, that contract looks very different: what used to be a semi-precarious training agreement is now, in many cases, a formal fixed-term job with full social benefits.

Implementation guidance from firms like DLA Piper’s employment practice explains that apprentices now enjoy stronger protections, while companies face clearer obligations. On top of that, SENA enforces a mandatory apprentice quota, and as L&E Global notes, the agency can sanction employers who don’t meet it. For students, that translates into a steady pipeline of placements, especially in Bogotá and Medellín where banks, telcos, and nearshore IT providers cluster.

The economic logic is straightforward:

• During the academic phase, you earn around 75% of the SMLMV while completing your SENA coursework.
• In the practical phase, many apprentices receive about 100% SMLMV plus full benefits, which often brings the total employer cost to roughly COP $2,600,000+ per month.
• Combined study and practice can run for up to 3 years, giving you time to grow from absolute beginner to billable junior.

Tech-focused SENA programs - software development, web/multimedia, testing, networks, telecom - map directly into junior roles at large employers. The trade-off is speed versus security: raises are slower than jumping straight into a junior dev job, but you’re earning from day one, with EPS, pension, and paid leave accumulating while you learn.

To turn this into a launchpad rather than a cul-de-sac, treat your apprenticeship like a paid incubator. In semesters 2-3, build small side projects (a CRUD app, a Selenium test suite), document them on GitHub, and target companies with big apprentice quotas - banks, telcos, and BPO/nearshore firms in Bogotá and Medellín often recruit 3-6 months before your etapa productiva starts. That way, when your contract ends, you’re already positioned for a stable junior role instead of going back to the terminal to start over.

Mercado Libre

For students and junior devs in Medellín, Mercado Libre’s new IT center feels less like a single company and more like an entire express line: one that connects barrio meetups directly to large-scale e-commerce and fintech systems running across Latin America.

Why the Medellín IT center matters

The city’s investment agency reports that Mercado Libre opened an IT hub in Medellín with more than 500 technology jobs attached to the center, covering everything from logistics optimization to payments and fraud prevention. That scale, highlighted by the agency’s own announcement on the expansion, makes it one of the most attractive landing spots for junior engineers outside Bogotá’s banking sector.

Unlike many internships, most bootcamp-style participants come in on fixed-term or indefinite contracts from day one, with total compensation for junior developers in Medellín commonly landing around COP $4,000,000-$6,000,000 per month depending on stack and English level. You’re not just coding toy apps: you’re touching order flows, recommendation engines, and regional payment rails that serve millions of users.

How the bootcamp-style cohorts work

Mercado Libre runs intensive, seasonal training-to-hire cohorts lasting roughly 3-6 months. These function as internal bootcamps, where you’re embedded in teams and paired with senior engineers while being trained on company stacks such as:

• Back-end services in Java or Go for high-throughput APIs.
• Front-end applications in React and TypeScript for marketplace and fintech dashboards.
• Data and ML tooling that supports recommendations, search, and risk scoring.

The selection bar is high: hundreds of candidates often compete for each cohort. To have a real shot within 3-6 months, build at least one full-stack project (Java or Node.js plus React) deployed to a cloud provider, and practice algorithms and object-oriented design. Pair that with clear GitHub documentation and you’re much closer to what large nearshore employers in Colombia, as profiled in industry overviews of the country’s software sector, actually look for when staffing regional teams.

Globant

Among Colombia’s nearshore giants, Globant is one of the buses that rarely has empty seats. With large delivery centers in Bogotá and Medellín and growing teams in Cali and Barranquilla, it builds software for US and European clients while hiring aggressively at the trainee and junior levels. Early-career programs are designed as pipelines: once you’re in, the goal is to convert you into a billable “Globers” as fast as is sustainable.

Internships and “University” pipelines

Globant’s internship tracks, sometimes branded as university or gatekeeper programs, typically run 3-6 months. Stipends often sit around COP $1,600,000-$2,500,000 per month in tech roles, noticeably above minimum wage for students. The intent is clear: train you on Globant’s tools and practices, then extend offers into Junior I roles on real projects instead of letting talent walk to competitors.

Once converted, junior salaries in Bogotá and Medellín commonly range from roughly COP $3,500,000-$4,800,000 per month, depending on stack and language skills. Tracks include Java, .NET, frontend (React/Angular), QA automation, and increasingly data/AI, mirroring the broader Colombian market that, as IT staffing reports on Colombia point out, is now tightly integrated into North American delivery teams.

Why this route accelerates your growth

Because Globant sells services to foreign clients, juniors quickly learn to work in English, follow agile ceremonies, and ship to production with CI/CD pipelines. That exposure to global standards is a key reason nearshore firms are so prized on CVs, even if the first year feels intense.

How to stand out in 3-6 months

• Get basic cloud fluency (AWS, Azure, or GCP). Initiatives like the AWS Skills to Jobs Tech Alliance in Colombia show how cloud has become baseline.
• Publish 2-3 small projects on GitHub with automated tests and a Spanish README explaining architecture and trade-offs.
• Time applications for January-March and July-September, when new client projects often drive larger junior cohorts.

VélezReyes Tech Fellowship

For high-potential students from low-income barrios in and around Medellín, the VélezReyes+ Tech Fellowship is like someone handing you a prepaid card and putting you on an express bus straight into the heart of the tech ecosystem. Instead of juggling studies with long shifts in unrelated jobs, you get structured training, a stipend, and direct preparation for real internships.

The program, described in detail on the official VélezReyes+ Tech Fellowship page, is a 10-month career accelerator for students in STEM fields. It is completely free for participants and includes a monthly financial support package so fellows can dedicate serious time to learning. The curriculum mixes software development and data foundations with intensive work on English, communication, and professional skills, all tailored to young people from low-income backgrounds.

Launched in 2024 and scaling nationwide, the fellowship’s explicit goal is to prepare graduates for paid internships and early-career roles at leading Latin American tech companies and startups. Being rooted in Medellín means fellows are plugged into a city that has become a regional innovation node, with initiatives like Ruta N and a strong nearshoring pull that, as analyses such as nearshoring reports on Colombia note, is drawing more AI and software work toward Antioquia.

This path is intentionally selective, focusing on students who already show academic strength but lack financial safety nets. To be competitive over the next application cycle, you’ll want to start acting like a fellow before you become one:

• Strengthen your math and problem-solving profile through competitive programming, data-oriented side projects, or research groups.
• Build at least one tangible coding or data project you can demo: for example, a Python notebook analyzing public Colombian data or a small web app.
• Show community impact through tutoring, tech clubs, or volunteering, which aligns closely with VélezReyes+’s social mission.
• Monitor fellowship announcements and prepare documentation early; cohorts typically open applications once per year and move quickly.

If you meet the academic bar but money has always been the barrier, this fellowship can turn Medellín from just another stop on the map into the central station of your tech career.

Laboratoria

If you’re a woman in Colombia thinking of changing careers into tech, Laboratoria is one of the few buses on the map designed specifically with you in mind. Its bootcamps in web development and UX design are women-only, full-time, and intentionally intense, aiming to take students from little or no prior experience to employable in about 6 months.

How the program works

Laboratoria runs remote-first cohorts across Latin America, combining live classes, project-based learning, and constant feedback. According to its own program overview, there’s no upfront tuition; instead, many students use an income-share-style model where they contribute a portion of their salary only after landing a qualifying job. This makes it viable for women in Bogotá, Medellín, Cali, or smaller cities who cannot afford a private bootcamp but can commit to full-time study.

Outcomes and employer network

Laboratoria reports an employment rate of around 79% in tech-related roles for recent cohorts, a figure echoed by independent reviews on sites like Course Report’s profile of Laboratoria. Graduates join companies across Latin America, and in Colombia specifically they often land roles at firms such as Rappi, Globant, Mercado Libre, and smaller startups building AI-enabled products, benefiting from the broader nearshoring wave into Bogotá and Medellín.

Admissions and how to prepare

Entry is competitive. The selection process usually includes online aptitude tests, exercises in basic logic and problem-solving, and group dynamics to evaluate collaboration and communication. To give yourself a strong shot within 2-3 months:

• Finish at least one introductory course in HTML, CSS, and JavaScript (for web dev) or basic UX principles and wireframing (for UX).
• Build a small responsive website or prototype and publish it, with a short README in Spanish explaining your design decisions.
• Practice working in teams through local meetups, online communities, or university groups, since group activities are central in the selection process.

If you can clear that bar and sustain a full-time schedule, Laboratoria offers one of the most proven, low-cost routes for women in Colombia to move from non-tech jobs into junior web or UX roles linked directly to the country’s strongest tech hubs.

Soy Henry

Soy Henry is one of the clearest “express lines” for Colombians who want to jump from cero experiencia into full-stack or data roles in under a year. Its cohorts run remotely across LATAM, but Bogotá and Medellín supply a large share of students and hiring partners, making it a natural option if you’re outside elite universities but willing to grind.

Program structure and stacks

The bootcamp offers two main tracks. The Full Stack Web Development path focuses on JavaScript, React, Node.js, databases, and testing, while the Data Science path centers on Python, Pandas, statistics, and machine learning fundamentals. Full-time cohorts last about 4 months, and part-time options extend to roughly 7 months, with a workload that feels like an intensive job rather than a casual course.

ISA model, risk, and outcomes

Instead of paying upfront, most students sign an Income Share Agreement (ISA): you pay tuition only once you’re earning above a set salary threshold, sending a portion of your income back to the bootcamp for a fixed period. That reduces initial financial risk but means your early paychecks are smaller. Many Colombian graduates report landing junior developer or data roles around COP $3,000,000-$5,000,000 in Bogotá and Medellín - comfortably above a minimum-wage baseline that guides like Niural’s overview of Colombian wages peg near the COP $1,300,000 mark in recent years.

Clearing the Henry Challenge

Admission starts with the “Henry Challenge,” a timed logic and programming test that screens for persistence and problem-solving more than prior credentials. Within 4-6 weeks you can start preparing effectively:

• Master JavaScript fundamentals and build at least a ToDo app plus one API-backed mini-project.
• Practice algorithmic thinking daily using arrays, loops, and simple recursion problems.
• Review common entry-level expectations - resources like Robert Half’s guide to entry-level IT jobs give a good sense of the baseline skills employers want.

If you can pass that initial filter and commit the time, Soy Henry’s ISA-based model offers a credible, regionally recognized route from non-tech work into full-stack or data roles plugged into Colombia’s growing nearshore market.

Bancolombia Tech Internships

Bancolombia has quietly become one of Colombia’s most important tech employers. From its headquarters in Medellín and major operations in Bogotá, the bank has invested heavily in cloud migration, data analytics, and fully digital channels. For students, its tech internships are less about “learning how a bank works” and more about joining large engineering and analytics teams that run critical national infrastructure.

Interns are typically hired on fixed-term contracts aligned with university semesters. Stipends hover around 100% of the SMLMV plus corporate benefits such as transport or meal subsidies, which in recent years has translated to roughly COP $1,300,000-$1,600,000 per month. Cycles usually begin in January-February and July-August, so you need to apply several months in advance to get through tests, interviews, and background checks.

The work itself reflects Bancolombia’s digital priorities. Tech interns rarely touch “toy” projects; they are placed with teams working on:

• Cloud platforms (AWS and Azure) for modernizing core banking and APIs.
• Data analytics using SQL, Power BI, and Python for dashboards and risk models.
• Microservices and integration that power mobile apps and online banking.

Because the bank sits at the center of Colombia’s financial system, experience here is a strong signal if you want to grow into fintech, risk analytics, or cloud engineering. Broader market snapshots like IT job listings for Colombia show a sustained demand for profiles with exactly this mix of SQL, BI tools, and cloud skills.

To position yourself within 3-6 months, treat Bancolombia as a target client. Build a mini dashboard in Power BI or Tableau using DANE economic data or simulated transactions, and clearly document business questions (“Which segments drive most revenue?”, “Where is default risk rising?”). Pair that with a basic cloud certification such as Azure Fundamentals or AWS Cloud Practitioner, and submit your application 4-6 months before the semester you want to intern. By the time you’re standing at the interview “platform,” you’ll already speak the language of their teams.

Salesforce Solution Engineering Internship

Among all the routes into cloud careers, Salesforce’s Solution Engineering Internship in Colombia is one of the clearest bridges between pure tech and client-facing work. Based primarily in Bogotá with hybrid and remote flexibility, it drops you into teams that design and demo Salesforce-based solutions for real enterprise customers across Latin America.

The official LATAM Solution Engineering internship description outlines a fixed-term, paid program, typically lasting around 6-12 months. Interns receive a monthly stipend plus travel and meal allowances, and spend their days configuring Salesforce CRM, preparing demos, and helping build AI-enhanced customer success solutions. You work closely with senior solution engineers, sales teams, and professional services, learning how to translate a messy business problem into a clear technical architecture.

That mix matters in Colombia’s market. As large organizations migrate to SaaS platforms, the need for professionals who speak both “business” and “cloud” is rising. For example, the Colombian government’s decision to deploy Coupa’s cloud platform to manage public spending, highlighted in Coupa’s case study on Colombia, shows how enterprise SaaS and consulting skills now sit at the center of national-scale projects. A Salesforce internship positions you directly in that ecosystem, opening doors into presales, consulting, and solution architecture roles with regional or global scope.

The bar is high: good English (ideally B2 or above) is essentially mandatory, and selection focuses heavily on communication and analytical thinking, not just coding. In the 3-6 months before applying, you can significantly improve your odds by treating this like an entry-level consulting role rather than a pure dev job.

• Earn a few beginner Trailhead badges to show hands-on familiarity with Salesforce tools and terminology.
• Build a small portfolio piece where you map a fictional Colombian company’s sales process into entities, fields, and basic automations.
• Develop one simple Python or JavaScript project to prove technical aptitude, even if the role isn’t pure development.
• Create a bilingual CV and LinkedIn profile emphasizing presentations, teamwork, and any customer-facing or sales experience.

Junior Data Analyst and QA Roles

Some routes into tech pay you to learn; others expect you to be productive from day one. Junior Data Analyst and Junior QA/Automation roles sit firmly in that second category, and they’re where many Colombians actually enter the industry - especially those coming from bootcamps, self-study, or adjacent degrees.

In Bogotá and Medellín, typical salaries for Junior Data Analysts fall around COP $3,500,000-$5,000,000 per month. Core skills are practical, not academic: solid SQL, at least one BI tool such as Power BI or Tableau, basic Python for cleaning data, and comfort explaining numbers to non-technical stakeholders. Employers range from banks and telcos to retailers and specialized analytics providers serving nearshore clients.

On the QA side, Junior QA/Automation Testers usually earn about COP $3,000,000-$4,500,000 per month. According to an overview of AI-driven careers in Colombia from Mismo’s analysis of high-demand roles, QA and testing are among the most “AI-resilient” entry points, because every serious software and AI team needs reliable testing. The toolbox here includes Selenium or Cypress, basic Java or JavaScript, understanding of CI/CD, and a tester’s mindset - breaking things on purpose and reporting clearly.

These jobs are also numerically abundant: job boards routinely show 1,000+ IT openings across Colombia at any given time, with dozens of junior-friendly posts in Bogotá alone. They’re viewed as lower-risk hires for employers, which is why global guides like Robert Half’s entry-level IT report highlight QA analysis as a particularly strong first step for career changers.

If you want to board this line in the next 3-6 months, set a tight plan:

• Months 1-2: Choose a track. Data: finish an SQL course and build at least two dashboards using DANE or city open data. QA: learn Selenium/Cypress and automate tests for a small web app.
• Month 3: Assemble a one-page CV in Spanish with an English summary, and link GitHub/portfolio showing your projects.
• Months 4-6: Apply widely to banks, nearshore firms, and startups; treat screenings as practice reps until one hits.

How to choose your route

Standing at your own “Portal del Norte” moment, the map of Colombia’s tech routes can feel overwhelming. There isn’t a single best option; there’s the route that fits your starting station - your city, savings, current studies, and English level. Choosing well is less about ranking programs and more about aligning your reality with what each pathway actually demands.

A simple way to decide is to match who you are today with the line that naturally fits:

• SENA student or recent grad: Prioritize apprenticeships and training-to-hire schemes, then layer side projects so you can jump into junior roles in banks, telcos, or nearshore firms.
• University student (engineering, economics, business): Target structured internships at large employers (banks, consultancies, product companies) that feed directly into cloud, data, or dev roles.
• Career changer without a tech degree: Look at intensive bootcamps such as Nucamp, women-only programs like Laboratoria, or ISA models like Soy Henry to compress learning into months instead of years.
• High-potential, low-income student in Medellín or nearby: Aim for selective, funded accelerators like the VélezReyes+ Tech Fellowship, using SENA or university as a base.
• Self-taught with some portfolio: Apply directly to junior data or QA roles while refining skills and certifications on the side.

Once you’ve picked a line, treat the next 3-6 months like a focused sprint:

1. Month 1: Choose a stack (Python + SQL for data, JavaScript + React for web, or automation tools for QA) and rebuild your CV and LinkedIn in Spanish with a short English summary.
2. Months 2-3: Ship 2-3 concrete projects with Spanish READMEs - an API-backed app, a dashboard using Colombian open data, or an automated test suite.
3. Months 4-6: Add at least one fundamentals certification (cloud or analytics) and start applying in cycles that match your target programs’ calendars.

The good news is that Colombia’s map is expanding in your favor. Nearshore demand means local teams are deeply integrated into US and European products; analyses like Terminal’s breakdown of why companies hire in Colombia highlight strong talent, time-zone alignment, and competitive costs. In that context, your first stop - whether it’s a bootcamp like Nucamp, a bank internship, or a junior QA role - matters more than landing on the “perfect” bus. Step onto one solid route, stay on long enough to learn, and the transfers to AI and higher-paying roles will come.

Frequently Asked Questions