Abu Dhabi: Accenture (NYSE: ACN) and Expo 2020 Dubai announced the completion of their ‘2020 Hours of Code’ initiative – completing 2,020 hours of coding tutorials with UAE-based primary school students.
Held virtually and physically at the Expo 2020 Dubai Visitor Centre ahead of Expo’s opening on October 1, Accenture volunteers have been delivering weekly coding skills development sessions to UAE primary schools in collaboration with the Expo School Programme, which is dedicated to inspiring the younger generation by engaging with UAE schools and educators.
Empowering UAE-based students with digital, coding and computer science skills, this milestone also marks the largest scaling of Accenture’s global initiative – Hour of Code, an hour-long coding tutorial drive – in the Middle East.
“We are proud to announce the successful completion of our ambitious target of extending 2,020 hours of coding tutorials to primary school students, all while ensuring continuity efforts in light of the pandemic,” said Gerardo Canta, Accenture’s senior managing director at Accenture in the Middle East. “As part of our future workforce initiatives in the region, we aim to empower future generations with critical 21st century knowledge and skills. Alongside Expo 2020 Dubai, we tailored the content of our global Hour of Code initiative and delivered sessions to a large student body right here in the UAE. We look forward to working with our stakeholders and expanding this program further in the future.”
Alya Al Ali, Vice President of Expo School Programme at Expo 2020 Dubai, said: “We are thrilled that our collaboration with Accenture has provided a unique opportunity to further empower UAE school students with coding skills. Youth – the leaders of tomorrow – are at the heart of our World Expo and central to our theme and purpose of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’.
“The Expo School Programme seeks to enable students to maximize cutting-edge developments, spark their curiosity and inspire them to become a force for positive change. We can’t wait to welcome young visitors from all over the world to a six-month celebration of creativity, innovation, human progress and culture, and an educational journey of a lifetime.”
Globally, Accenture has participated in Hour of Code initiatives since 2015, with almost 160,000 Accenture employees volunteering to teach an hour of code at local events in their communities, helping to inspire more than one million students around the world to learn coding and computer science skills.
Hour of Code is a global event aimed at empowering every student to learn how to code. It started with one-hour coding tutorials and has expanded to a world of community-based efforts that do not require prior coding experience. Partnering with Code.org, Accenture seeks to help demystify computer science for young people and build skills that could enable them to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
During Expo 2020, the Expo School Programme will offer students four exciting bespoke school journeys: Legacy of the UAE; World of Opportunities; Sustainable Planet; and Universe in Motion. It has also created a number of initiatives to involve the school community, including the Expo 2020 Dubai Visitor Centre – a dedicated space at Expo 2020 for schools and students to explore and engage with Expo 2020; Expo 2020 Young Innovators – an innovation and creative problem-solving programme; and curated class material, including the Expo 2020 Learning Resources, with lesson plans, classroom activities and ideas for exploring the future.
As the Digital Services Premier Partner and Systems Integrator for Expo 2020 Dubai, Accenture is leading several innovative ventures and partnerships to create a powerful, personalized and engaging digital experience that brings Expo 2020 to life for millions of visitors and audiences worldwide.
About Accenture:
Accenture is a global professional services company with leading capabilities in digital, cloud and security. Combining unmatched experience and specialized skills across more than 40 industries, we offer Strategy and Consulting, Interactive, Technology and Operations services — all powered by the world’s largest network of Advanced Technology and Intelligent Operations centers. Our 537,000 people deliver on the promise of technology and human ingenuity every day, serving clients in more than 120 countries. We embrace the power of change to create value and shared success for our clients, people, shareholders, partners and communities.
About Expo 2020 Dubai:
From October 1 2021 to March 31 2022, Expo 2020 Dubai will welcome visitors from every corner of the globe to join the making of a new world, as it brings together the planet in one place to reimagine tomorrow.
- With the purpose of ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’, Expo 2020 will be the world’s most impactful global incubator for new ideas, catalyzing an exchange of new perspectives and inspiring action to deliver real-life solutions to real-world challenges
- Expo 2020 will provide a visually striking, intellectually enlightening and emotionally inspiring 182 days, as more than 200 participants – including nations, multilateral organizations, businesses, and educational institutions, as well as millions of visitors – create the largest and most diverse World Expo ever
- Expo 2020’s sub-themes of Opportunity, Mobility and Sustainability will inspire visitors to preserve and protect our planet, explore new frontiers and build a better future for everyone
- Expo is committed to building a more equitable and just world for everyone while keeping visitors safe by following the latest guidance of the world’s leading medical, science and health experts
- Expo 2020 is the first World Expo to take place in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, located on a 4.38 sqkm site adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
- Built with a meaningful and measurable long-term legacy in mind, the Expo site will transform into District 2020 – a model global community that will rethink the cities of the future – after Expo 2020 closes its doors
