We The Italians | Italian good news: Apple invests again in Naples and renews Developer Academy programs through 2025

Italian good news: Apple invests again in Naples and renews Developer Academy programs through 2025

Italian good news: Apple invests again in Naples and renews Developer Academy programs through 2025

  • WTI Magazine #144 Oct 16, 2021
  • 991

Since Apple opened its developer academy in Naples in 2016, about 2,000 students have completed its training programs. And another 3,000 have taken short courses, on basic skills. Today, the company decides to invest again in the Developer Academy in Campania. It has announced that it will extend the programs, designed together with the Federico II University, until 2025.

Free courses on coding, design, business, aimed at training in nine months aspiring programmers and entrepreneurs coming from all over Europe. And to create new opportunities in the iOS app economy (which counts 1.7 million jobs in Europe alone).

"We believe education is a powerful tool for improving communities, creating new pathways to innovation and economic development," explained Lisa Jackson, Apple's vice president of environment, policy and social initiatives. "We are very proud to extend the investment, fostering new opportunities for young people in the region and across Europe to develop foundational skills that will enable them to build careers in the vibrant iOS app ecosystem."

Classes for the new year began on September 27. Hundreds of students from over 20 countries are in class. At the end of the year, they will present their projects to companies and investors, so they can enter the world of work immediately. In 2019, 60% of the companies involved recruited between three and five graduates. Among them is Roberto Frenna, who received an offer from ASOS.com the day after graduation. He moved to London. And a year later he got a new offer as an iOS developer from Twitter, for whom he now works.

Apple will further intensify initiatives for alumni, with a new resource plan announced yesterday. All graduates will, for example, have a Mac and iPhone at their disposal for two years, access to training and networking programs.

"One thing I learned at Apple is that if you don't fail, you're not really trying. It's not a problem but an opportunity," said Luca Maestri, the company's vice president and CFO, in Naples for the opening of the new academic year. "We get a lot of things wrong at Apple: the final product is perfect but the road is full of things that didn't work before. So have an open mind and learn to fail," he advised the students.