SOFTWARE

Google to tap developer base with Android Nanodegree

googleapp From left: Peter Lubbers, senior programme manager, Developer Relations, Google, Ganesh Neelam, development manager, Tata Trusts, Sebastian Thrun, founder and CEO of Udacity and Rajan Anandan, vice president and managing director, Google South East Asia & India

India has the potential to become the largest software developers' base by 2018 as the country will have more than four million software developers by then. Currently, India has the second largest developer population in the world with three million software developers, next only to the United States.

Google, with the intention of tapping this growing developer base in the country, has announced the launch of a programme, in partnership with Udacity, to offer Android Nanodegrees in India.

The Android Nanodegree is an education credential that is designed to help developers learn new skills and advance their careers in a few months from anywhere on any device at their own pace. As a part of the programme, Google and Tata Trusts will offer 1,000 scholarships to deserving students across the country.

The Udacity Android Nanodegree programme will comprise of courses developed and taught by expert Google instructors from the Google Developer Relations team and will include project reviews, mentorship and career services from Udacity. The curriculum will be updated regularly with new releases and will provide developers with a certificate that will help them become more marketable Android developers.

The programme is open for enrollment right now and it will takes an average of six to nine months to complete at a cost of Rs 9,800 per month. Udacity will refund 50 per cent of the tuition fees after the completion of the programme. Besides, Google will also host a career summit for thirty top graduates from the Android Nanodegree programme in Bengaluru by end of this year.

Scholarships for the Android Nanodegree will also be available immediately, which would mean a free programme for the budding developers.

Launching the programme in Bengaluru, Rajan Anandan, vice president and managing director, Google South East Asia and India said; “Despite having millions of software developers, we still lag behind in creating world-class apps. Today, only two per cent of the apps built in India feature in the top 1000 apps in the world and our goal is to raise this to 10 per cent in the next three years. With the launch of this program we aim to provide India’s developer community an easy access to learn and build high quality apps for the world.”

Ganesh Neelam, development manager, Tata Trusts, stressed on the fact that with over 381 million Internet-enabled mobile phone subscriptions in India, there is a growing demand for the internet as a multi-purpose solution provider. “Our focus area is to develop digital technology for rural prosperity. Through this programme, we will provide scholarships to deserving aspirants in the field of Android development in India. It will also help us stand by our core objective of creating a sustainable difference for empowering communities across the country especially in tier 2 and 3 cities and in rural areas,”

Interestingly, Tata Trusts is amongst India's oldest, philanthropic organisation that work in different areas of community development. It offers grants to institutions in the areas of natural resources management, rural livelihoods, urban livelihoods and poverty, education, enhancing civil society and governance, health and media arts, crafts and culture.

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Topics : #Google

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