What is a cohort?
A cohort refers to a group of learners participating in a specific term of the Skills for the future with IBM SkillsBuild and Riipen program. Each cohort operates within set dates, during which learners engage with employer projects. This structure allows for organized timelines and ensures learners and employers can collaborate effectively. Learners and employers must apply to participate in each cohort.
Projects will start and end on the following dates for the five cohorts:
Cohort 1: August 25 - October 18, 2025
Cohort 2: September 22 - November 15, 2025
Cohort 3: October 20 - December 13, 2025
Cohort 4: November 17 - January 10, 2025
Cohort 5: December 15 - February 7, 2025
Dates and cohort availability are subject to change.
| Description | Cohort 1 | Cohort 2 | Cohort 3 | Cohort 4 | Cohort 5 |
Open for employer project match requests | Employers are invited to request to match their projects to the July 2025 Cohort. Visit Getting Started with IBM SkillsBuild: Employers for more details. | July 7, 2025 | July 7, 2025 | Will open when cohort 1 is closed | Will open when cohort 2 is closed | Will open when cohort 3 is closed |
Learners can confirm eligibility & submit an application | Selected learners are invited to confirm their eligibility by completing their application. Visit our application process [add link] help article for more details.
Applications will close once we have reached out maximum number of applications.
| July 7, 2025 | August 1, 2025 | August 25, 2025 | September 22, 2025 | October 20, 2025 |
Learners invited to the cohort | Learners who are successful in the application process will receive their official invitations to join the cohort. | August 11, 2025 | September 8, 2025 | October 6, 2025 | November 3, 2025 | December 1, 2025 |
Learner project application period | Learners will apply to projects during this window. You can apply to up to 4 projects. The first employer to accept your application is the project that you will work on. There are no opportunities to change projects once you are added to a project. | August 11 - 19, 2025 | September 8 - 16, 2025 | October 6 - 14, 2025 | November 3 - 11, 2025 | December 1 - 9, 2025 |
Project start date | Projects officially begin. Learners and employers should start their collaboration from this date, and learners must complete the onboarding survey and hit “Start Project” in the platform to confirm the project's participation in the cohort. | August 25, 2025 | September 22, 2025 | October 20, 2025 | November 17, 2025 | December 15, 2025 |
Project completion | All projects must be completed by this date. Visit 4. Guide to Completing an IBM SkillsBuild Project [add link]for more details.
| October 18, 2025 | November 15, 2025 | December 13, 2025 | January 10, 2026 | February 7, 2026 |
Exit survey & feedback | Once projects are submitted,employers and learners must complete the exit survey and provide feedback for one another on the platform. A reminder that learner payment will be withheld up to 5 weeks or until the survey is completed & employers have provided their feedback. | October 18, 2025 | November 15, 2025 | December 13, 2025 | January 10, 2026 | February 7, 2026 |
Payment period | After the project is completed, the payment process will begin for eligible learners. Learners will be compensated for their project work 4 weeks from the final cohort date. Visit Payments for more details.
| October 18 - November 15, 2025 | November 15 - December 13, 2025 | December 13 - January 10, 2026 | January 10 - February 7, 2026 | February 7 - March 7, 2026 |