Global professional services firm Accenture and Expo 2020 Dubai have 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. – TradeArabia News Service