Apple Development Academy helps locals learn programming
There’s a lot of money in the app industry – and Detroit wants to be a part of it. That’s where the Apple Development Academy comes in, teaching locals how to program.
(FOX 2) – If someone were to open their smartphone, they would find a list of apps tailored to their style.
The monster that powers the industry and brings personalized apps to the home screen is part of a $1.1 trillion business, according to an Apple study. Michigan officials hope to use just a fraction of that to boost Detroit, already a growing tech hub.
“If we could get Detroiters to use even 0.1 percent of that, that would be a billion dollars. I don’t think that’s a big deal,” said Darnell Adams, who works at the Gilbert Family Foundation.
One of the foundation’s goals is to keep talent in Detroit, and if successful, a feedback loop could help bring more professional services to the city.
The trick is finding the right people and giving them the right training. That’s where Michigan State University and the Apple Development Academy come in.
“Detroit is becoming a huge technology hub here, isn’t it? So we want to show you everything there is to explore in the Detroit area, because that’s what the Academy is here for, for Detroiters,” said Anny Staten, associate director of the Apple Development Academy.
The academy is now in its fourth year and offers 200 people ten months of free training each year.
Staten says the goal is to encourage students to think about the bigger questions surrounding app development, like why someone would develop an app, who the users are, and who the audience is. They’ll do the rest themselves.
“We teach learners how to program and design and turn their app into a business,” Staten said.
In 2023, 47 teams brought apps to the App Store. This includes Jatquese Whitson, a graduate program participant who had no programming experience but enough ideas to get started.
“It’s like playing football. You have to go to the gym, train and do what you have to do to perform on the field,” he said. “And it’s the same with technology.”
“They put the information right in front of us and said, ‘We’re going to teach you, but it’s also up to you to go out and learn it, get better at it and come back and just show off,'” Whitson said.
The end product was an app called “Offseason,” which is designed for amateur athletes who want to have a casual game with others.
“We’re trying to make everything easier. Finding and hosting pickup games, organizing the games, organizing the teams,” Whitson said.
Whitson is one of the academy’s success stories. The goal of the program is that the success of the individual means bigger and better things for Detroit as a whole.
