Building job-ready talent: How TechFluent's graduating class delivered a real-world app

TechFluent Academy launched a new student cohort in November 2025 with a training program that blended classroom learning on a variety of topics, Microsoft certification preparation, and the challenge of building a Power Platform solution based on real-world challenges.

That final development challenge, the TechFluent capstone, serves as a final, hands-on demonstration of skills, where students work in teams to apply Microsoft Power Platform technical knowledge and professional skills to meet business requirements. Together, members of each capstone team take on different responsibilities such as the home screen, lead details, confirmation screen, or email features before bringing them together for the final solution delivery.

In other words, the capstone aims to mirror how real development teams work. 

A capstone designed to mirror the real workplace

The TechFluent Academy trainers divided the class into project teams and presented the challenge: build a lead capture app for a small retail company called Contoso that their field team could use at trade shows to connect with potential partners. 

Before the app, Contoso relied on business cards, handwritten notes, and spreadsheets, which often led to disorganized information, slow follow-ups, and missed opportunities. The capstone team's goal was to replace manual processes with a simple, mobile-friendly app that could capture lead information quickly and in a single step, making it easier for Contoso’s staff to stay organized and follow up. The teams of three to five students were expected to build their solutions using Power Apps, with Dataverse as the data store.

Learning that clean data drives user experience

For Zakariya Abdi, a graduate of TechFluent Academy and a member of one of the lead capture app project teams, the program offered a unique blend of education and experiences. 

"I wanted a structured way to transition into tech and learn by building something real," recalled Abdi, who now works as an associate software engineer at Travelers. The hands-on Power Platform training helped him learn new ways to think about data, design user-friendly screens, and use formulas to make apps dynamic. Mentorship also played a big role by helping him work through challenges and build confidence, he added.

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During the capstone, he worked on dynamic dropdowns tied to product interests, an experience that changed how he thinks about app development. 

"I didn't expect to learn how much data structure affects the entire user experience," Abdi said. "While working on the dynamic dropdowns for product interests, I realized how important clean data and filtering logic are for making the app fast and intuitive. I also learned how small UI decisions can make a big difference in a busy tradeshow environment."

Collaboration as a core technical skill

Teamwork proved to be another important lesson for Abdi’s group. "Working as a team pushed me to think beyond just my part of the app. My dynamic dropdowns had to align with the form design, data tables, and navigation that others were building," he noted. "Communicating changes and coordinating with teammates helped us keep the app consistent and taught me how important collaboration is in real development work."