2023 training program for 1,000 students with expanded participation from young girls
Kuwait – 29 January 2023 – CODED Academy, the First Coding Academy in the Middle East – Based in Kuwait, is teaming up with Agility and other well-known local companies to launch Kuwait Codes, a free program that will train 1,000 high school students in programming languages and frameworks.
The Kuwait Codes initiative, now in its third year, aims to provide the basic digital skills that the country’s future workforce needs in order to build a successful knowledge- and innovation-led economy. To date, more than 1180 students have received free training through Kuwait Codes.
The 2023 program will focus on four distinct knowledge areas: Website programming, Game development, Python Programming, and Flutter. The intensive course runs over 3 main cohorts.
Ahmad Marafi, CEO OF CODED Academy, said: “We are pleased to partner with Agility in this strategic partnership to launch the Kuwait Codes initiative. It allows any high school student in Kuwait to learn coding and software development for free. Agility, like CODED Academy, is also keen to ensure that girls are able to fully participate and complete the Kuwait Codes program. Our goal is 50% female participation in the 2023 program. We want to extend our gratitude to Agility and all the supporters involved for contributing to this great initiative, which will benefit about 1,000 Kuwait youths. Agility has previously supported CODED Academy’s Unicode program, which provided free training and skills development to more than 300 university age young people. We’re proud to again have Agility as a Strategic Partner, and we’d like to thank the Agility team for contributing their time and effort to be part of our 2023 Kuwait Codes program.”
Henadi Al Saleh, Agility Chairperson, said: “Agility has long supported educational initiatives in the communities where we operate, especially initiatives that support the development of technical and digital capabilities, key skills we need in our workforce. CODED provides students in Kuwait with practical coding skills that set the foundation for the future. I look forward to seeing the progression and growth in the coming Kuwait Codes cohorts, especially progress achieved in girls’ participation.”
Hashim Behbehani – COO said: “I want to extend my warmest invitation to all eligible high school students in Kuwait to participate in this year’s Kuwait Codes program, especially to girls who are interested in apps and software development. We will do our best to create space for any eligible student, and we will provide you all the tools, resources and support you need to be successful!
“I’d also like to thank Agility for its support of this year’s program. I’d also like to thank Agility for engaging with us to ensure that girls can fully participate and complete this training. Our goal is to make it super easy for participating students to understand the fundamentals of application development, and to help students to transition from classroom projects to “real” applications. I’m looking forward to seeing all the inspirational and very real apps this year’s participants will develop as part of this training!”
Registration for the Kuwait Codes program is now open. Female and male students are welcome to participate and can apply for the Kuwait Codes program by following CODED’s social media accounts at @Joincoded @kuwait_codes.
In 2022, Agility supported CODED’s UniCode program which provides digital coding basics to undergraduate students, and it has been organized with the support of the Computer Engineering Society (CPES) at Kuwait University, reaching 335 students, 60% of whom were female.
In November and December 2022 Agility partnered with Soronko to provide coding, web development, Python, and essential soft skills for 50 women in two training cohorts. This is the fourth training cohort that the Soronko team has trained over the last two years at the Agility Tema Training Academy. As part of the partnership, Agility supports Soronko by providing a training room with laptops, internet access and program resources, including funding for the instruction, as well as transportation for the students to attend classes.
In 2022 Agility funded the construction of two classrooms for the Liz Foundation School, in the Masaka region of Uganda. This school has almost 300 students attending, and 15 staff.
Agility donated construction services for a local orphanage in India to complete a remodel of a kitchen and dining area that supports 30 girls. The orphanage supports about 30 girls at any one time, including their food and education.
GCC Services, an Agility company, and Agility partnered to support the Buliisa Community in Uganda for local health and education initiatives.
The program provided:
- Menstrual health and hygiene instruction, sanitary pads and women’s empowerment training for 850 young women;
- Computers for a school of 1,000 students, and connecting the school to the local electricity grid; and
- Donation of hospital beds, to be used by about 350 patients/year, and hygiene and sanitation training to hospital staff.
Agility and Menzies Aviation continue to support the rebuilding and refurbishment of the l’Ecole Primaire Publique school in Cote d’Ivoire, focusing on upgrading the classrooms at the school. In addition, local Menzies team members are supporting the school and its students by paying for the internet and maintenance of computers and providing three scholarships for the best students in need to help them attend high school, college and university.
In 2022, Agility donated the classroom and training resources to OIADA International, to deliver vocational training skills to 40 young adults from Ghana. The training resources included instructor facilitation and tools/materials for the course, which will enable the students to learn the skills required to pass the electrician apprentice exam. In addition to the training provided, the OIADA team has arranged for these students to have access to internships with a local construction company.
In October 2022, Agility sponsored RunQ8, a charity fun run benefiting the Fawzia Sultan Healthcare Network. 20 Agility employees participated in the event, and Agility matched employee registration donations dollar for dollar. Funds raised from the race are directed to children of low-income families who do not have access to appropriate healthcare services. This is Agility’s 10th year sponsoring RunQ8.