Under the patronage of Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, H.E. Eng. Mothanna Gharaibeh, Orange Jordan inaugurated on Thursday, June 27 its Coding Academy, in the attendance of the Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research, H.E. Dr. Walid Maani, Chief Commissioner at Telecommunications Regulatory Commission (TRC), Dr. Ghazi Jbour, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Orange Jordan/Jordan Telecom Group, Dr. Shabib Ammari, Deputy CEO of Orange Middle East and Africa, Jérôme Hénique, CEO of Orange Jordan, Thierry Marigny, in addition to representatives of a number of local companies in various economic sectors and the media.
During the opening ceremony, Minister of Digital Economy and Entrepreneurship, H.E. Eng. Mothanna Gharaibeh stressed on the importance of having coding academies aimed at developing the digital skills of youth in Jordan.
Al-Gharaibeh pointed out that the government is working on a number of programs to qualify trainees to deal efficiently with the requirements of the digital economy and leadership, in addition to providing them with the skills of the 21st century and coding.
Al-Gharaibeh also thanked Orange Jordan for establishing the Academy, which enables us to keep up with the rapid technological developments and the fourth industrial revolution.
From his side, Marigny showcased the stages of establishing the Coding Academy, saying that: “It was the first Academy of its kind inaugurated by Orange Group in the Middle East, and was launched in partnership with Simplon.Co. He expected that the Academy will achieve the same success as the other coding academies that were launched by the Group in Senegal and France”.
In terms of the objectives of the new Academy, Marigny affirmed that the free and intensive training courses offered in coding languages to its participants, will contribute in making the concept of “training for employment” a reality, as it serves two main dimensions; the first being related to the business sector, where employment standards have changed significantly in terms of job acceptance, and now, it depends on the scientific and professional qualifications that are directly related to diversified technology. As for the second dimension, it is related to training and qualifying the Jordanian youth in order to enable them to find job opportunities that are currently in demand in the labor market, pointing out that the Academy’s training and preparations aim to achieve and serve job seekers and companies.
Marigny also pointed out that information technology, including coding languages plays an important role in the national economy. This is evident in the estimates, which confirms that job growth in the technology sector is increasing annually, supporting the shift towards digital economy at a steady pace, supported by the qualifications required to achieve this.
He also pointed out that the focus of the Academy on coding languages came due to being an important skill required in the local and external labor market in light of the growing global demand for qualified software developers, pointing out that this motivated the company to establish the Academy, especially that job opportunities may arise in Jordan as a result of this development and will reach 10,000 jobs during the next five years.
From his side, Hénique stressed on the importance of this Academy and the role it plays in rehabilitating and training youth and enhancing their skills, expecting that the inauguration of this Academy will facilitate the way for youth to be employed in the ICT sector, and contribute in their involvement in the overall development process in the Kingdom.
He also discussed the important and vital role played by Orange Jordan as a local telecommunications company in the development of the spirit of a global digital system in the Kingdom, and its efforts to reduce the digital divide between local communities.
He also stressed on the importance of Orange Jordan’s ongoing efforts in implementing its corporate social responsibility plan, inspired by Orange Group’s strategy, where the company works continuously to launch initiatives that would move Jordanians towards the new digital era and integrate them into the digital revolution that the world is witnessing today.
.The Coding Academy plans to provide a wide range of opportunities for youth, with or without a degree, to receive coding skills, with a focus on Java and Python coding languages, as they are highly demanded by companies, with confidence that the Academy will offer students the opportunity to learn how to find solutions in the real world.
It is worth mentioning that 50 young people, between the ages of 18 and 30 were officially selected to be part of the first batch at the Academy, where they will be integrated in an intensive, free training program for a duration of six months, followed by a one-month training in a company operating in the Kingdom, in order to contribute to accelerating their involvement in the labor market in the technology sector.