Riyadh: The Apple Developer Academy, in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s capital Riyadh on Sunday, celebrated the graduation of the first batch of 103 female trainees, the Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported.
The Apple Academy, which was opened in June of 2021, as part of a strategic partnership between Saudi Arabia and the Apple Developer Academy following the visit of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to the headquarters of Apple in San Francisco during his visit to the United States of America in 2018.
Esther Hare, senior director of worldwide developer marketing at Apple, said, “The women graduating today from the Apple Developer Academy are creators, designers, coders and entrepreneurs. They have bright futures ahead, and we can’t wait to see how they will use their skills and experience to leave their mark on the region and the world.”
Academy graduates go on to build their own businesses, create and sell apps on the App Store, and give back to their communities.
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As part of the Apple Developer Academy program, students before their graduation participated in a career fair to connect with companies and gain access to career opportunities or funding possibilities.
The Apple Academy, which is the only one in the Middle East and North Africa and the world’s first women’s academy for women, aims to prepare participants and enable them to obtain jobs related to the growing iOS app economy.
The Academy offers a 30-day introductory course alongside the Academy’s nine-month intensive program that delves into programming and professional skills. Programming science, technology, design, and professional skills such as problem solving and communication across disciplines are taught within the courses.
The Academy opened its doors to provide opportunities for personal learning in February and aims to graduate 600 women annually in the field of technology, as part of the interest in empowering women in the technology sector.
The Academy is located within the campus of Princess Nourah University, the largest women’s university in the world, providing female students with access to world-class scientific facilities, including housing and sports facilities, with easy access to the city of Riyadh.
Apple has more than ten Apple Developer Academy locations around the world, dedicated to providing tools and training for aspiring entrepreneurs, developers and designers to find and create jobs across the burgeoning iOS app economy.
