Apple Launches Major New Projects Under the Racial Equity and Justice Initiative to Address Systemic Racism and Advance Racial Equity Nationally



[ad_1]

America’s first Apple Developer Academy opens in downtown Detroit

Later this year, Apple will open an Apple Developer Academy in Detroit – the first of its kind in the United States. Detroit has a vibrant black entrepreneur and developer community, with more than 50,000 black-owned businesses, according to US Census data. The academy is designed to empower young black entrepreneurs, creators, and coders, helping them develop the skills needed for jobs in the rapidly growing iOS app economy. Launched in conjunction with Michigan State University, Apple Developer Academy courses will be open to all Detroit learners, regardless of their academic background or previous coding experience.

The Apple Developer Academy will offer two programs in Detroit. A 30-day introductory program is designed for learners considering a career in the application economy and looking to better understand what it means to be a developer. The Academy’s Comprehensive Curriculum is an intensive 10-12 month program that will help future developers gain the skills to participate in the iOS app economy and even start their own business. Apple expects the academy’s programming to reach nearly 1,000 students each year with a curriculum that covers coding, design, marketing, and professional skills.

And next month, Apple will welcome the inaugural cohort of its Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers for a virtual experience, offering personalized code-level advice from Apple experts and engineers, as well as mentoring, inspiration. and ideas from key Apple leaders.

Empower entrepreneurs through new funding partnerships

To remove systemic barriers to access and finance faced by black and brown entrepreneurs, Apple today announces two new investments in venture capital and banking spaces, both of which are designed to provide capital to businesses. belonging to minorities. The company will invest $ 10 million with Harlem Capital – a New York-based startup venture capital firm – to support its investments in 1,000 companies with diverse founders over the next 20 years. In addition to providing capital to entrepreneurs of color, Harlem Capital will also bring its expertise to Apple’s broader efforts to improve access to economic opportunities. The company will offer guidance and mentorship to students at the Detroit Developer Academy and attendees at Apple’s Entrepreneur Camp for Black Founders and Developers. Apple will also support Harlem Capital’s internship program, which focuses on opening doors for aspiring women and minority investors.

The company will also invest $ 25 million in Siebert Williams Shank’s Clear Vision Impact Fund, which provides capital to small and medium-sized businesses, with a focus on minority-owned companies. The fund seeks to support businesses that operate in or serve underserved markets and that promote inclusive growth initiatives.

Strengthen community organizations

As part of its REJI work, Apple continues to build on its contributions to community colleges, nonprofits, and local organizations that strive to empower and expand opportunities for the next generation.

Apple is making a contribution to the King Center, a living memorial to the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to share his teachings and inspire new generations to continue his unfinished work. Next week, Dr King’s daughter and King Center CEO Dr Bernice A. King will issue a call to action encouraging young people to give back to their communities as part of the Challenge for Change series. ‘Apple – a set of conversation guides and learning-based challenges on issues of race and inequality.

Apple’s contribution to the King Center builds on the company’s previous donations to nonprofits that advance fairness and justice, including the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, in Alabama.

[ad_2]

Source link