The move is part of Apple's $100 million Racial Equity and Justice Initiative, which the company launched in June in the wake of the killings of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. The program in Detroit, a collaboration with Michigan State University, is aimed at Black entrepreneurs and coders and is free for students.
"Detroit has 50,000 small businesses that are owned by Black and Brown owners, and we thought this would match very well with that entrepreneurial spirit and the kind of folks who are rebuilding and building in Detroit," said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives.
The academy will offer two programs: The first is a 30-day introductory program aimed at helping participants better understand what it means to be a developer. The other is a 10- to 12-month intensive program that will give them the skills to become a developer and possibly start their own business.
The academy will start out as a virtual program when it launches later this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but Jackson said they plan to offer it in-person in a physical space in Detroit soon after.
The programming will cover coding, design, marking and professional skills. Apple expects to teach nearly 1,000 students per year.
The Apple Developer Academy programming will be open to students over 18. There is no requirement to be enrolled in school or have any prior coding experience.
Apple has other Apple Developer Academy sites in Italy, Brazil and Indonesia.
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