Coding Program By 8 Universities For 20,000 Pupils In UAE

The Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum introduced the National Programme for Coders this week. On Wednesday, July 14, he had declared that 8 national universities will allow 20,000 students with an aptitude for coding to take part in the initial stage of the coding program.

What the coding program offers for aspiring students:

The national universities taking part in the event will introduce certain clubs for the coders on their campuses to allow them to engage in Hackathon competitions specialized in programming and coding both nationally and internationally. In the next level, the universities will also arrange different workshops and lectures with top professionals and specialists from across the globe to prepare the students in the coding arena.

For the undergraduates, this event will arrange 500 different training opportunities, in local, regional, and international companies globally. Coders can earn as much as Dh35,000.

Moreover, to provide the undergraduates with a chance to learn about the different programming applications, to teach them how to apply this knowledge practically, and to present them with various coding techniques and tools in different sectors and markets, they will introduce three digital libraries in association with Amazon, Huawei, and IBM.

The Minister of state for artificial intelligence, Digital Economy, and Remote Work Applications, Omar Sultan Al Olama, commented that the introduction of digital libraries symbolizes a new beginning in starting the global public and private partnership within the foundation of the National Programme for Coders.

What do partnering universities have to say about the initiative?

The universities participating in the event are the Higher Colleges of Technology, Khalifa University, Zayed University, University of Dubai, Abu Dhabi University, Mohammed bin Zayed University for Artificial Intelligence, American University in Dubai, and the University of Sharjah.

The Minister of Culture and Youth and the President of Zayed University, Noura Bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, stated that the final goal of Zayed University partnering with the ministry of artificial intelligence concerning the program for coders is to guarantee that the implementation of such a national priority agenda item happens successfully.

She said that coding has turned into a vital necessity that helps new graduates with their employment opportunities. With such a calculated partnership, they’ll be able to prepare the Zayed University graduates and the youth in the UAE with the required skills that will help them attain a competitive edge in the employment market.

Presently, they are forming new student clubs, workshops, and training courses to bolster the initiative on both campuses, which is aimed at students within Zayed University and those from other academic institutions, including schools.

They have also lately announced a new academic concentration related to web and mobile app development, where coding and programming have an important role. This is owing to the fact that it is mandatory for the students to complete 1/3^rd of their degree in learning programming, as she had added.