The workshop has been endorsed by the Minister responsible for youth and technology Mr. Glenn Phillip, who said the “Mobile Application Development” workshop which is being organised by the Department of Technology, will run from 24th – 27th June.
The sessions will be held at the St. Kitts Marriott Resort and participants are expected to learn industry skills that demonstrate how to create Mobile applications, commonly referred to as apps, for smart phones and tablets that use Android, Apple and Blackberry platforms.
Minister Phillip explained that the trainees will be tested in a fun and youth friendly setting, to come up with solutions to fill existing gaps in society. That could be designing an app that informs about the availability of agricultural produce, or reminds parents and students about due school assignments.
Some of the applications will not be limited to St. Kitts-Nevis experiences. The design functionality will allow users in various countries to make the use of the apps relevant to their reality. With the Apple App Store boasting some 500,000 applications and the Android market not too far behind, the new creations will have to stand out. As such, information and technical mentors will be on hand, guiding the usefulness of the design and defining the scope of the issues to be addressed.
Social skill training in leadership, ethics, problem solving and other areas will also help guide the participants in identifying social gaps and developing solution-oriented apps.
The workshop is open to the public, but there is emphasis on attracting young people. Students from various high schools on both islands are expected to attend in addition to a selection of marginalized youth.
Director of Technology Christopher Herbert encouraged persons not to be intimidated by the “techno babble.” He described the process of creating an app as relatively simple and encouraged interested individuals to register online for the free course at mobileapps.gov.kn or telephone the National ICT Center at 465-0610.