KUWAIT: The third edition of the "Kuwait Codes" initiative is set to launch by CODED with the support of the 2023 strategic partners: Alghanim Industries, Zain Kuwait, Kuwait Finance House, and Agility. The initiative aims to teach 1,000 male and female high school students the latest programming languages and frameworks such as Python, web development, video game development, and mobile app development using Flutter. Kuwait Codes is completely free for all high school students in Kuwait, and aims to create a tech-savvy generation proficient in the latest technologies and able to contribute innovative technology-based solutions.

Ahmad Marafi, CEO of CODED said: "We are happy to announce the launch of the third edition of the "Kuwait Codes" initiative in collaboration with our 2023 strategic partners Alghanim Industries, Kuwait Finance House, Zain Kuwait, and Agility. The initiative aims to teach 1,000 high school students, from private and public schools, the latest languages, technologies, and frameworks in the field of programming currently used by the biggest tech companies worldwide.

After the success of the first two editions, here we are launching the third edition to continue our goal of creating a generation of tech-savvy youth. We believe in the youth and their ability to harness their innovative minds every chance they get in different fields. Our role is to equip them with the technical and life skills necessary to succeed in the future and help them turn their tech ideas into reality from Kuwait to the world.

We would like to extend our gratitude to our esteemed Strategic Partners for their continuous support to CODED and youth in Kuwait, and we hope that we reach our goal of further developing the technical skills of the next generation. CODED calls on all high school students to seize the opportunity and apply to this free-of-charge initiative through our website www.code.kw to get a chance to create a better future for themselves."

Abdullateef Al-Sharikh, Senior Director of Corporate Communications at Alghanim Industries: "We are honored today to join our esteemed peers in the private sector to renew our support as strategic partners of Kuwait Codes. This is our second year backing this initiative to equip our country's youth with programming skills. Our belief in the minds of tomorrow remains as firm as our belief in developing their digital skill sets for the future. The world is rapidly evolving, especially when it comes to digitalization, automation, and other advanced technologies - all of which rely on coding.

Across the many sectors we operate in, literacy in coding plays a crucial role. Our deepest gratitude goes to CODED for closing that knowledge gap by providing our young talent with the skills that will help them build successful careers in the future," he added.

Waleed Al-Khashti, Zain Kuwait's Chief Corporate Affairs and Relations Officer said: "The local community always anticipates Zain's presence behind every successful Kuwaiti project, and this is exactly what we aim for as part of our strategy to achieve sustainable development within the nation's various sectors."

"After the fantastic success of the first two seasons, we're thrilled today to announce Zain as a main and strategic partner of Kuwait Codes' third season in collaboration with our colleagues at CODED Academy, continuing our journey of empowering the next generation of Kuwaiti programmers and developers," Al-Khashti added.

Al-Khashti explained: "Zain is extremely proud to be a part of this initiative's success story, especially that we were here since the beginning. The program's goals are well aligned with our corporate values of empowering a generation of capable and digitally aware young people. By providing them with such an exceptional educational environment, we contribute to giving youth the skills they need for their future careers, many of which now require digital competencies as a prerequisite."

"We couldn't be prouder to be one of the top strategic partners of CODED Academy throughout the past years, which has contributed to bringing hundreds of young programmers and developers to the local market. We wish our colleagues at CODED all the best of luck in this upcoming third season," Al-Khashti concluded.

During the press conference held by Coded Academy, KFH Group Deputy General Manager Public Relations and Media, Yousef Abdullah Al-Ruwaieh  said: "We are proud at KFH to continue our strategic partnership with Coded Academy to support technological innovations, through which we aspire to support the youth of Kuwait and contribute to providing them with the best educational tools in the field of programming," indicating that this comes within the framework of social responsibility and support for innovation, students and youth, in line with the bank's sustainability strategy.

Al-Ruwaieh added: "KFH is keen to encourage scientific progress, innovation initiatives, and technological creativity. Therefore, we are pleased to continue our strategic partnership with Coded Academy to launch the third edition of the Kuwait Codes initiative, and enhance efforts to enrich knowledge, support innovation, creativity, and pay attention to youth and nurture their talents."

He pointed out that KFH is keen to support this initiative, provide the best educational environment for Kuwaiti youth, and contribute to the creation of an advanced generation in the technological field that keeps up with the requirements of the future.

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."

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 percent of whom were female.