Orange Jordan in partnership with Simplon, launched the Coding Academy project to offer free programming courses in different programming languages for the Jordanian youth, in order to enhance the concept of “training for employment” and assist them in finding job opportunities in the technology sector.

The CEO for Orange Jordan, Thierry Marigny said during a press conference held on Sunday, that the decision to launch this new academy falls in line with the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy and its ambitious vision of being a trusted, reliable operator that pushes technology and its usages, and as digital partners in the Kingdom, the company focuses on supporting the youth segment and enhancing the opportunities to educate and train them.

He added that the Coding Academy was established in Jordan, after the success of a similar coding academy that was launched by Orange Group in Senegal, under the name of Sonatel, pointing out that the company and in cooperation with Simplon.Co, will offer participants high-quality training courses on a technical and managerial level, and at the same time, build their character.

Marigny spoke about the importance of this academy and the free courses it will offer to participants, saying that the Jordanian and its neighboring markets need qualified programmers who possess high-quality skills, which will facilitate for youth the opportunity of finding a job or establishing their own technological projects.

He affirmed that one of the academy’s objectives includes Orange Jordan’s contribution to reducing unemployment, which has reached 18.6% in 2018. He also added that the company emphasized the importance of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) sector, estimated at a 25% annual growth, and which plays an important role in the national economy and supports the trend of transforming Jordan’s economy into a digital one, making the Kingdom a major hub for technology.

Eng. Rana Dababneh, PR, CSR and Corporate Communications Director, at Orange said pointing out that it will be offering 6-months of intensive courses to 50 young people between the ages of 18-30 years, in order to help them find a job in the technology field, in addition to training them in various companies.

Dababneh added that the courses aim to respond to the rising needs of specialists in the field of information technology and program experts, pointing out that the company seeks to train young people in order to increase their employability in this sector.

Dababneh added that interested candidates can now fill out their applications on the academy’s website, www.orange.jo/codingacademy, starting from Sunday, February 24th until March 10th. Candidates will be selected according to specific criteria set by Orange Jordan, and once shortlisted, they will be invited for an interview.

Frederic Bardeau, President and Co-Founder of Simplon Foundation, said “After the launch of the Sonatel Academy in Senegal, we are honored to partner with Orange Jordan who seeks to facilitate Jordan’s youth to learn coding through an intensive training journey in Amman. We are looking forward to share our passion for coding with the first 50 trainees of the Coding Academy”.