As part of an initiative to train youths in the UAE in computer science, His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai has announced that one million young Arabs will receive free tuition in computer code. The One Million Arab Coders initiative, part of the Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Global Initiatives (MBRGI) foundation, aims to teach skills in code writing that will prepare the youth of the UAE for the future and enable them to contribute to the development of the digital economy.
Shaikh Mohammad commented, “Coding is the language of the modern era. Our goal is to teach it to one million young Arabs, in order to prepare them now for the requirements to excel in the future.” He added, “We will continue to launch projects and initiatives to support Arab communities because the stability of our region relies on it. The MBRGI has launched over 1,400 projects and 33 institutions dedicated solely to spreading hope and building the future of the Arab world.”
This initiative echoes efforts in the US to address a looming shortage of IT talent. The Florida state senate in February 2016 overwhelmingly approved a proposal to allow computer coding to fulfill foreign language requirements in high schools.
HR executives globally should note that this trend will likely provide industry with a significant number of coders, which could help to alleviate shortages of available talent.
Paul Arkwright
Publisher
