As part of its partnership with Gaza Sky Geeks, Bank of Palestine provided its support for the Programming Academy, which was established to support the creative activities of Palestinian youth in Gaza, train them and develop their capacities, and promote their ideas and transform them into tangible inventions. The Academy was established as a joint project between Gaza Sky Geeks and Founders and Coders International.
The Programming Academy also provides intensive training for innovative Gaza students working in the fields of technology and electronics. These trainings are provided over a period of six weeks on a full time basis, and followed by an additional program over a period of eight weeks, which involves practical training in cooperation with real customers working in commerce. Each training program includes about 16 students, both males and females, who become qualified to produce applications based on high quality technologies. The academy also aims to graduate program developers who will have the opportunity to work as freelancers or find employment at prestigious companies. Registration for the third round of the training will begin within a short period of time.
The bank’s support for this program stems from its corporate social responsibility and in harmony with its strategy to support Palestinian youth, sponsor innovations, adopt innovative ideas and support and implement them in reality. The bank is also interested in entrepreneurship and encourages innovation. It is important to note that Bank of Palestine is among the founders of the Ibtikar Fund, which has a capital of approximately $12.5 million and invests in youth and entrepreneurial projects. The bank also supported several innovative activities during the past few years, among them Technology Week, Startup Weekends and other activities.