Abu Dhabi’s coding school aims to attract tech talent from around the world

When Hamda Alwahedi started her career as an environmental scientist, little did she know that she would have the opportunity to work in coding and switch to data analysis.

She’s not alone, as the UAE’s digital drive has fueled the ambitions of hundreds of students in the country who want to carve a career in tech.

Ms Alwahedi studying at 42 Abu Dhabi in the UAE coding schoolto improve her skills.

The institute has received more than 31,000 applications since it opened in October 2020, its chief executive Marcos Muller Habig told Nationwide.

Enrolling more than 300 students on campus, the center aims to attract global talent and attract programmers from around the world.

With no classrooms or teachers, students have free access to this forward-thinking school.

Students improve their programming skills through internships, projects, games, and peer-to-peer learning.

The center attracts applicants from a variety of backgrounds, including oil and gas engineers, university professors, school teachers, flight attendants and even DJs.

For Ms Alwahedi, the shift from geoscience to coding may seem like a drastic one to the onlooker, but she says it’s not a big one in a world where everything depends on technology.

The 28-year-old Emirati programmer is also pursuing a master’s degree in data analytics at the Rochester Institute of Technology in Dubai.

“In my previous job, I felt like I was stuck in a certain area and I couldn’t really think outside the box,” Ms Alwahedi said.

“In terms of technology, I can focus on multiple areas such as networking, security or game design.

“I’ve been focusing on coding since 2017, and when the pandemic hit, I had a lot of free time.

“I was interested in learning the programming language Python, and when 42 Abu Dhabi opened, I thought I could put my knowledge into practice.”

Ms. Alwahedi hopes to start her career in data analytics soon.

This week, the UAE chose her as a coding ambassador.she is one of 56 coding Ambassadors help support the country’s digital drive and support National Coder Program Launched in June 2021.

The enterprising 23 are Emiratis, selected from all seven emirates.

The program will also grant golden visa 100,000 of the world’s best programmers.

Hamed AlHashmi, another 42-year-old Emirati student from Abu Dhabi, graduated from the Higher Institute of Technology, has been coding for over a decade, and was chosen as a coding ambassador.

“I am honoured, humbled and grateful to have been selected for my technical abilities,” said Mr AlHashmi.

“I want to be part of building a coding culture in the UAE to help support the country’s digital drive.

“As an ambassador, I will promote the importance of digital literacy to government and the private sector, staff and students.

“I’ll share the concept of coding and how it can be a driver of the economy for years to come.”

He said he would work with other ambassadors to improve their technical skills and organize workshops and hackathons.

Mr Habig, 42, from Abu Dhabi, said he was delighted that two of the centre’s students had been chosen as ambassadors.

“I think it’s a validation of what we’ve been doing,” he said.

“Having them at the forefront of this initiative as ambassadors is something we are very proud of.

“I like to focus on coding in the UAE because it’s usually very outsourced.

“We hope we can attract talent from all over the world to our program, then retain them and build this ecosystem of technical skills.”

Programmers of all nationalities and age groups can apply for the UAE Golden Visa.

He said when students completed their courses, the centre would help them apply for a golden visa if they wished.

For 42 Abu Dhabi, the next big step will be to focus on cybersecurity and expand cybersecurity offerings on the plan.

Updated: 10/29/2022 3:30am