News

Nonprofit Dev Group Launches Workforce Initiative To Support Coders

• By David Ramel
• March 9, 2016

The nonprofit Application Developers Alliance is leading a wide-ranging campaign to increase the size, expertise and understanding of the developer workforce, which it sees as a crucial resource for enterprise success in the digital age.

Teaming up with a group of "industry leading companies," the Alliance launched the Developer Workforce Initiative, described as "a first-of-its-kind campaign to engage, educate, and support the world's software developers everywhere, across all platforms, technologies and industries."

That ambitious goal is being addressed on several fronts, including: research and insights about the ever-changing needs of the workforce; professional development through the provision of educational resources; public policy and advocacy efforts to support the workforce by addressing important issues; and marketing and business development, involving "gathering stakeholders for networking and producing engaging live programming."

The Application Developers Alliance -- with the mission of supporting "developers as creators, innovators and entrepreneurs" -- is partnering with companies such as Facebook, MapR Technologies, Built.io, Google, Intel, AT&T, Apcera, Ford, Ericsson and Intel in the effort.

"The world's most innovative companies and organizations are embracing next-generation technology tools and platforms to transform their business models and disrupt traditional marketplaces," the group said in a statement yesterday. "This 'Digital Transformation' will increasingly rely on attracting the most talented, creative and expert software developers to work on a broader range of technologies, across industries and within more complex systems. To meet the growing demand across all industries and sectors, a global cross-industry commitment is being made to engage, educate and support developers and grow the size of this essential workforce."

Specific plans and programs listed by the Alliance as part of the Developer Workforce Initiative include:

• Defining and shaping the capabilities of the Industrial Internet.
• Gathering industry leaders and technologists to host events and deliver programming to developers.
• Deploying educational resources and content for developers preparing to enter the development workforce.
• Creating core competencies and set criteria for industrialized application development.
• Matchmaking developers with companies looking for talent.
• Conducting research and providing analysis on the changing needs of the developer workforce.
• Identifying new trends in software development.

"Software developers are the essential workforce of the digital age," said Alliance exec Jake Ward. "This is an important time for any company or organization that depends on developers to build products and services and to drive enterprise-wide innovation. Every company, regardless of size or industry, is transitioning into a technology company. The men and women at the center of software development are essential to every facet of our economy, our governments, and our lives. Investing our time and resources to support the developer workforce is an investment that benefits everyone."

The Alliance said Developer Workforce Initiative activities will be launched throughout the year and invited interested developers to sign up at its Web site to receive notifications of these efforts.