Officials at the Department of Technology say they are finalizing arrangements for what will be the first mobile application development workshop, which they hope will open a world of possibilities to Kittitians and Nevisians.

Participants will learn industry skills that demonstrate how to create applications, commonly referred to as apps, for smart phones and tablets that use Android, Apple and Blackberry platforms. Web Apps for traditional personal computing devices such as a laptop will also be covered.

The minister responsible for youth and technology Honourable Glenn Phillip noted that the participants will be challenged in a fun and youth friendly environment, 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.

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 Centre at 465-0610.

Mr. Herbert thanked a number of partners including the BrightPath Foundation of Congress WBN of Trinidad and Tobago, and local companies Digicel and SKNVibes.