"Two years ago, Lizmary Fernandez took a detour from studying to be an immigration attorney to join a free Apple course for making iPhone apps. The Apple Developer Academy in Detroit launched as part of the company's $200 million response to the Black Lives Matter protests and aims to expand opportunities for people of color in the country's poorest big city."
"About 600 students, including Fernandez, have completed its 10-month course of half-days at Michigan State University, which cosponsors the Apple-branded and Apple-focused program. WIRED reviewed contracts and budgets and spoke with officials and graduates for the first in-depth examination of the nearly $30 million invested in the academy over the past four years-almost 30 percent of which came from Michigan taxpayers and the university's regular students."
Roughly $30 million was invested in an Apple Developer Academy in Detroit, financed by Apple, a wealthy family, Michigan taxpayers, and university resources. The program enrolled more than 1,700 students since 2021 and graduated about 600 from a 10-month, half-day course co-sponsored by Michigan State University. Stipends proved insufficient for some participants, causing financial distress and reliance on food assistance. Graduates reported mentorship and instruction on inclusive app design, but many lacked the experience and portfolios required to land coding jobs right away. The funding mix and outcomes illustrate challenges in converting short-term training into sustained tech employment.
Read at WIRED
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]