#Did you know … In 2021 we will download 435,000 apps every minute and spend 4.8 hours a day using them on mobile devices and tablets. In October alone, 79,111 new apps were created. These data from App Annie corroborate the social and economic revolution brought about by the irruption of smart mobile devices in the last decade.

In this context, training in mobile application development is logically in high demand. According to the international specialist company GeekHunter, the need for professionals in this sector has shot up to 600% by 2021, making it one of the professions with the brightest future.

Another report, in this case prepared by Apli Mobi-Apps Iberoamerica, indicates that the mobile applications market in Spain should end 2022 with 450,000 professionals. Due to its volume, competitiveness and, above all, the quality of its codes, Spain is already positioned as a power in application programming.

In recent years, brands have learned to distinguish between native mobile apps and mobile internet apps, for example. The former provide clear opportunities for loyalty, while web applications can contribute to the acquisition of new leads. These are complementary channels, for differentiated business strategies, which in any case will continue to be in vogue in our country. Not surprisingly, Spain is one of the countries with the highest penetration of mobile connectivity and where the weight of mid-range and high-end devices is higher -they have greater storage capacity and, therefore, allow more apps to be downloaded-.

Courses for the unemployed

Today we focus on the training project ‘Apps Factory’, sponsored by the Employment Service of Catalonia and the European Social Fund, and developed by the Aspasia Group. This is an eight-month program for unemployed people under 30 years of age, which has been running for five editions in Barcelona. The last of these, which started on dates close to MWC 2022 and will conclude in October, has fifty students, who are already learning to develop mobile applications under the tutelage of large companies in the ICT sector.

The ‘Apps Factory’ program is divided into three main phases. First, participants are guided through individual and group sessions, as well as through visits to companies in the mobile sector. The second phase bases its strategy on two training paths for training in UX/UI design and digital marketing and for hybrid and Android programming of mobile applications.

Finally, the mobile application creation phase is carried out, in which young people develop their own application with the aim of promoting their incorporation into the labor market. Here, the challenge is to integrate their progress and knowledge into work teams and simulate a real work environment. The winning app will be announced in October, among all the apps developed during these 9 months.

In previous editions, 35% of the young participants obtained an immediate job placement at the end of the training, and another 30% in a period of less than 6 months.

Grupo Aspasia plans to replicate the model in other autonomous communities, starting with the Basque Country, whose first edition – with no age limit and for multimedia web development and full-stack development – has been held since last November.

Courses for people on ERTE

Another interesting training option, in this case aimed at people affected by a temporary layoff plan (ERTE), is the free programming course on mobile devices offered by Grupo ATU. It is taught online and has a duration of 150 hours. This training is very focused on Android development, although it also makes a brief reference to iOS devices.

 

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Related information:

> Digitalízate’ selection: 9 courses to update your digital competencies