1st Cohort Completes Inaugural DSU Mobile App Training

The inaugural cohort of the first-ever Del State Mobile App Academy recently completed a six-week technology “boot camp” in which the participants learned coding skills that enable them to design apps.

The first nine people to complete the academy were celebrated on Aug. 12 during a program at the DSU Living and Learning Commons in which they were able to receive their certificates and show off the apps they each were able to develop.

DSU President Harry L. Williams and other DSU administrators joined representatives of Barclays Bank to celebrate the first cohort’s completion of the academy. The six-week training program was made possible by a generous $200,000 grant from Barclays, a financial institution that has partnered with DSU over the last few years as a solid source of internship opportunities Del State students.

“This has been the next stage in our relationship, as we worked to figure out how DSU could be a technology hub,” said Jocelyn Stewart, director of Barclays’ Community Investment.

During the Mobile App Boot Camp, the participants – some of whom are recent DSU graduates and current students – became certified in Android mobile architecture and Java programming language, highly sought-after skill sets in the regional job market. 

Hadiyah Mujhid, one of the Mobile App Academy instructors, said in offering such training, DSU is filling a void. “In Silicon Valley, technology companies are struggling when it comes to having diverse workforces,” she said. “This helps fill the demand for such diversity.”

The DSU president said the Mobile App Academy is an exciting addition at the University. “These young people now have something that will benefit them for the rest of their lives,” Dr. Williams said. “We couldn’t be the host site of this training without the support of Barclays.”

The University plans to offer the course again within the next year.