The Dubai Future Foundation’s (DFF) “One Million Arab Coders” programme has witnessed an enormous turnout as more than 250,000 applicants stepped forward to compete for one of the 100,000 open seats on the programme’s first round.

Launched by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, Ruler of Dubai, the programme seeks to help one million young Arab programmers hone their digital and coding skills.

The initiative has attracted more than 750,000 applications from the Arab world since its inception. The applicants will be sorted into eight annual rounds, with four academic courses each round: smart applications development (35 per cent of the applications), website programming (33 per cent of the applications), data analysis (18 per cent of the applications) and finally, smart website design (14 per cent of the applications).

Furthermore, the Foundation sought to provide further support for the One Million Arab Coders initiative, signing a partnership agreement with Bayt.com, the largest platform for job seekers in the Gulf, Mena, in the presence of Omar bin Sultan Al Olama, Minister of State for Artificial Intelligence (AI), member of DFF’s Board of Trustees and deputy managing director of the Foundation; along with Rabea Ataya, founder and CEO of Bayt.com.

“The ‘One Million Arab Coders’ is a landmark initiative to empower Arab youth and help them acquire the skills of the future,” said Al Olama. “This embodies the vision of H.H. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum in developing the knowledge and skills of young people in the Arab region, keeping them up to speed with the rapidly changing demands of the labour market of the future, where programming is set to be at the core of every sector.”

“With this partnership with Bayt.com,” he added, “the Dubai Future Foundation is looking to broaden the horizons of employment for programmers, and provide an enabling environment for them to imagine and build their own future by mastering next-generation technologies such as artificial intelligence, robotics, cognitive and biological sciences, and programming.”

From its end, Bayt.com will work to provide a dedicated platform for programmers to find jobs, granting them access to consultation services and training opportunities for participants who have successfully passed the first phase of the One Million Arab Coders programme and the Coders’ Challenge.

Ataya said: “We are proud to be partnering with the ‘One Million Arab Coders’ programme – the first initiative of its kind targeting Arab youth around the world. We are committed to playing our part and offering all the necessary support for their goals and aspirations, and look forward to collaborating with the Dubai Future Foundation to empower a generation of knowledgeable, qualified and future-ready Arab youth.”

The One Million Arab Coders is one of the initiatives that seek to realize the UAE Centennial 2071 vision to put the UAE ahead of all other nations by supporting sustainable development, increasing the number of patents and supporting science and innovation. – TradeArabia News Service