POSTECH: Apple Developer Academy opens in Pohang

Korea’s first Apple Developer Academy held its first class online on March 14. The Apple Developer Academy is an education program for developers in the making. The nine-month course will be conducted online to start, with in-person classes at POSTECH at a later date. On the first day of classes, both the students and the mentors showed much enthusiasm and strong engagement.

The Apple Developer Academy – designed to provide computer science education and startup opportunities to the aspiring entrepreneurs, developers, and designers – will run five days a week for nine months. The curriculum covers a range of courses including Coding, Design, App Business & Marketing, Professional Skills and Process to deliver a multi-disciplinary framework to equip students with the skills and experience they need to bring their ideas to life.

Apple Developer Academy and POSTECH selected 200 students across the country to participate in the free program. The class of 2022 are a talented group of students with much personality, passion, and potential.

“We’re thrilled to partner with Pohang University of Science and Technology to open Korea’s first Apple Developer Academy, and to support Korea’s next generation of developers and entrepreneurs” said Gordon Shukwit, the director of Apple Developer Academy. “The App Store ecosystem is an engine for creativity and economic development, and we can’t wait to see how the 200 students in the first Academy class use their skills to build new businesses and create apps that change the world.”
“I was thinking about my career path while pursuing my major in life sciences and became interested in Apple’s operating system iOS; but I noticed a big gap between the classes offered at school and the actual development work,” explained Jikyung Kim, a student enrolled in the Apple Developer Academy. “Apple’s education curriculum is what I need but what I am looking forward to is growing together through collaborating with other students from different backgrounds.”

Inseop Kim, who worked as a guitarist and sound engineer, said that he joined the developer academy to find a new way to express through app development. “I got the courage to apply after seeing an interview of a participant at the developer academy in Brazil who was a band musician.” He added, “It is exciting that this program allows a diverse group of people to create synergy and new values with their own ideas.”

“POSTECH is thrilled to safely hold the first class of Korea’s first Apple Developer Academy, despite an ongoing pandemic, in partnership with Apple, a leading global company,” remarked President Moo Hwan Kim of POSTECH. “We will do our best to support these 200 exceptional individuals – full of potential – in their course of learning over the nine months so that they can grow into leaders who can contribute to the advancement of their communities and the nation.”

There are more than a dozen Apple Developer Academy sites around the world, including Detroit (US) and Italy. The first of its kind in Korea has opened at POSTECH. On average, graduates from the Apple Developer Academies receive 3 job offers after completing the course and have launched more than 1,500 apps in the App store and founded 160 new companies in total.

Korea has a thriving iOS app economy, which supports hundreds of thousands of jobs across the country. Launching an Apple Developer Academy builds on Apple’s partnership with Korea and is expected to create more jobs and startups across the country.