UAE DEAL WITH TECH FIRMS TO TRAIN 100,000 CODERS

▶ Amazon and Google part of programme that also aims to establish 1,000 technology companies

The UAE has signed a deal with major technology companies to train 100,000 young people in computer programming.

Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, announced the agreement yesterday.

“We launched a national programme for coders with Google, Microsoft, Amazon AWS, Cisco, IBM, HPE, LinkedIn, Nvidia & Facebook with aims to train 100,000 coders, establish 1,000 tech companies that will go global, & increase start-up investments from Dh1.5 billion [$408 million] to Dh4 billion,” Sheikh Mohammed wrote on Twitter.

“The new programme represents a new step towards establishing our digital economy.

“The world is rapidly changing and the fast-growing digital economy will create new types of jobs. To thrive in the ever-evolving world, we must be ready to quickly cope with the emerging trends.”

The skills needed to write computer code, develop software and build mobile applications are among those most sought after for the future global job market. While some traditional jobs will be lost to technological advances in the coming years, many thousands will be created.

In 2018, it was estimated there were 23 million coders in the world, and that would increase to 28 million by 2023.

In 2017, Sheikh Mohammed announced the One Million Arab Coders campaign to train young people.

The plan, led by Dubai Future Foundation, was designed to equip young people with the skills the job market will need.

Research by Monster, one of the world’s biggest job portals, puts demand for information technology skills and qualifications at “very high”, above engineering and science qualifications.

It estimates 10 per cent global job growth over 10 years and a median salary of $90,000 a year today. Employers most commonly want to hire candidates who can programme, write or manage Oracle, JavaScript, C++ and Apache Hadoop.

Reports suggest many people who fill coding roles have switched careers after embarking on specialist courses instead of completing degrees at university, giving hope to many considering a job change.