The Dubai
Future Foundation (DFF) has announced
the signing of partnership agreements with several major international firms to
support the One Million Arab Coders initiative launched
in October last year.
The international firms that DFF signed partnership
agreements with include Facebook, Oracle, Microsoft, SAP, Careem, Consensys,
Emirates NBD, UDACITY, and Barmej.com.
The signing ceremony was attended by UAE Minister of State
for Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Deputy Managing Director of DFF Omar bin
Sultan Al Olama, CEO of DFF Khalfan Belhoul, senior officials of partner
companies, and a number of senior executives.
According to UAE Minister of State for AI and Deputy
Managing Director of DFF Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, the One Million Arab Coders
initiative launched reflects UAE’s enhanced investment in human capital and is
part of its efforts to enable Arab youth to change global perceptions about
their reality.
The One Million Arab Coders initiative supports the aspirations of the youth to
stay abreast of global technological developments.
“The initiative is also part of our efforts to prepare the
new generation for the future by helping them gain advanced technology skills
that allow them to widen their expertise and meet job market requirements. We
look forward to continuing our One Million Arab Coders journey in partnership
with our private sector partners,” he added.
Under the partnership agreement, Oracle, Microsoft and SAP,
will provide training opportunities to participants who qualify for the
advanced rounds of the programme, in addition to an internationally recognised
certificate.
Consensys and Coded will provide internship opportunities
for participants in the category of trainer, along with international
certification that will enable them to train youth in coding.
Facebook will provide infrastructure services as well as
training and e-marketing, in addition to support for 100 participants to launch
start-up projects.
Microsoft, Careem, and Emirates NBD will provide training
and job opportunities for winners of the programme.
The One Million Arab Coders initiative is the largest
programme of its kind.
It seeks to train one million young Arabs in computer
programming, to empower and equip young Arabs with the tools and technical
knowledge necessary for facing the challenges of the future. The goal is to
open a wide range of career opportunities for young Arabs in the future and
inspire a new generation of leaders in the digital economy.
As previously
reported, the initiative consists of 3 stages implemented over two years.
In January, DFF announced
that more than 250,000 applicants have applied to compete for 100,000 seats on
the first round of the programme. According to the press release, the
initiative has attracted more than 750,000 applications from the Arab world
since its inception. The applicants will be sorted into 8 annual rounds, with 4
academic courses each round on: (1) smart applications development, (2) website
programming, (3) data analysis, and (4) smart website design.
Arab youth can apply
for the programme online for free.
