Apple Academy: a source of pride for Naples, in the district of San Giovanni a Teduccio

On 28 and 29 June 2017, with the awarding of certificates and the closing ceremony, in the presence of the rector of the Università Federico II di Napoli, Gaetano Manfredi, the director of the Developer Academy, Giorgio Ventre, and Gordon Shukwit, head of Information Technology and Learning Technologies at Apple, the first cycle of courses of the first Developer Apple Academy in Europe officially came to an end.

by Silvia Semonella

Opened in October 2016, it has by now become a source of pride for the Neapolitan district of San Giovanni a Teduccio, where its premises are located; its courses are offered by the Università Federico II in partnership with Apple.

The programme

In the Academy's second year of activity, 400 students were selected: 200 more than in the first year.

The Academy's programme focuses on software development, start-up creation and iOS app design: the aim is to give students the chance to gain the skills they need to succeed. The training path has been designed to support not only young people who already have experience in coding or IT, but also those interested in fields such as design and business.

The programme is open to students from all over Italy and from every corner of the globe; Apple is investing millions of euros to make the course free for everyone, also providing hardware and software for the Academy, including an iPhone and a Mac for every student.

The diplomas, at the end of the second year of the course, were presented by Apple's vice president, Lisa Jackson, who spent time with the students in the hours before the ceremony.

The approach and the method

The teaching methods adopted by the Academy matter a great deal, as many students explain, including a twenty-three-year-old who has just graduated in Electronic Engineering, from the very same Federico II, who says: “Apple's approach is to shape you as a person, whereas at university you're somehow left to your own devices, and everyone has to find their own motivation to see it through. At the Academy, on the other hand, you never want to stop working and the motivation to tackle challenges comes from engaging with other people. An approach far more valuable than a traditional lecture.”

Journey is the name of one of the projects this young woman worked on: an app built around sharing travel information and experiences, already optimised for iOS 11 and published on the App Store in October, in step with the new version of the operating system.

Many other students also speak of the great importance placed on teamwork and on practice rather than theory; an experience that is enriching on every front, then, one that has allowed many young people from the area to gain skills and knowledge and that, in some cases, has opened the doors to the world of work for them.