In 2013, Apple opened its first Developer Academy in Brazil, providing a space for and support to the nation’s budding developers and designers with regards to app development and entrepreneurial training. Eight years on, the tech giant’s education arm has set up shop in various other locations across the globe, the latest ones being in Korea, the US, and now Saudi Arabia.
The Saudi Arabia academy will be set up in the capital city of Riyadh, making the city the first in the Middle East to have an Apple Developer Academy. News of the upcoming Saudi hub was published by Saudi Gazette, and in the article the Kingdom’s Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Al-Swaha was quoted as saying, “This qualitative move is an investment in the digital minds and skills of our girls in their journey of building the innovative future of the nation and the transformation towards an economy based on innovation and digital transformation."
And the number of women joining Saudi Arabia's tech sector is still on the rise.https://t.co/wPbe4EZ9w6
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) March 12, 2021
According to Apple.com, the Developer Academy has a number of centers in cities like Naples, Italy, and Jakarta, catering to students who want to learn “the fundamentals of coding as well as core professional competencies, design, and marketing, ensuring graduates have the full suite of skills needed to contribute to their local business communities.”
Saudi authorities: The unemployment rate in KSA fell to 11.7 percent in Q1 of 2021, the lowest it has been since 2016 as a result of #Vision2030 economic reforms, the rapid COVID-19 response, and women’s participation in the workforce. pic.twitter.com/WawmEyGDtt
— About Her (@AboutHerOFCL) July 3, 2021
Apple Developer Academy offers two different training programs. The first comprises 30-day foundations courses in a number of areas and the second a more intensive 10- to-12-month program that delves into coding and other skills. Successful graduates of the academy include Antonio Chiappetta from Italy, who created Elevate, the popular, award-winning, brain training app, and Aisyah Widya Nur Shadrina, who created Hearo, an app that performs live captioning of speech, allowing people across the world to communicate with friends who are deaf.
