Over half a million people from 22 countries around the world have applied to participate in "One Million Arab Coders". The initiative, launched by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, seeks to train a million young people in coding techniques to empower Arab youth and arm them with the tools to succeed in the age of technology.
The overwhelming majority of applicants, 95%, are applying to study rather than be trainers, and who want to add technology and coding skills to their education. The largest proportion of applicants came from Egypt, with Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Syria and Iraq following.
HE Abdullah Bin Touq, Acting CEO of the Dubai Future Foundation, said: "This overwhelming response in the first week alone shows how timely and necessary this initiative is and demonstrates the eagerness of our region’s young people to take on advanced technology skills.”
He added that after the end of the period of direct submission of e-learning materials starting next January, which will last for two years through which the choice of the best programmers and trainers in the fields of programming and technology.
The One Million Arab Coders initiative is part of the MBRGI initiatives, dedicated to spreading education and knowledge in order to contribute to a renaissance in the Arab world, and to advance the region into a brighter future by investing in the youth, whose energies and abilities will build the future. The Hussain Sajwani Damac Charity Foundation, a joint venture between DAMAC Properties and its CEO, Mr. Hussein Sajwani, supports the initiative, which is managed by the Dubai Future Foundation.
One Million Coders consists of three phases to be completed over two years. The first phase includes enrolment by Arab students and tutors from across the world at www.arabcoders.ae. Here, participants can begin free education training, and receive a certificate at the end of each course.
In the second phase, the top 1,000 students will be selected through the Coders Challenge, and they will be able to enrol in, and receive, more advanced courses, scholarships and vocational courses for professionals. In the third stage, the top 10 coders are chosen. The first-place winner will receive an award of $1 million, while the remaining nine will receive $50,000 each. The top four tutors will receive $200,000, $50,000 each.
The initiative will empower young Arabs with knowledge so they can get jobs – current statistics reveal that, globally, approximately 80 million jobs will be available in 2020 in software, smart phone applications and web development. Participants will enjoy the advantage of being part of a community that plays a key role in various key economic sectors, particularly e-commerce, IT and software engineering.