- Both join to build Creative Computing Workshops, using APU’s experienced professionals
- Workshops empower poor students with essential skills, addresses electronic disparities
The Asia Pacific University of Technology &, Innovation ( APU) and the Nicol David Organisation ( NDO ), led by squash champion Nicol Ann David, have collaborated to support philanthropic endeavors.  ,
Through this collaboration, NDO aims to utilise APU’s expertise, particularly from the Asia Pacific Centre for Analytics ( APCA ), to introduce Creative Computing Workshops. These workshops are designed to address the differences between electronic literacy and economic opportunity in underprivileged students.
This program is the result of a Memorandum of Understanding signed between APU and NDO on February 6, 2024, which takes effect on May 10, 2024. Twenty-five students from underrepresented backgrounds are now enrolled in a complete 40-hour learning program at APU, which is scheduled to be finished by October 2024.
During her lecture at APU to launch the Innovative Computing Workshops,  , David emphasised the importance of Computer Science in fostering problem- solving skills, reasoning, and creativity. She highlighted the social and economic barriers to online opportunities that learners from B40 and M40 background face because of their social and economic status.
Echoing her sentiments, Hema Latha Krishna Nair, top professor at APU and nose of APCA, explained the show’s aim to provide hands- on experiences for B40 and M40 students, transcending silent understanding paradigms.
” We at APU have assembled a training team made up of seasoned School of Technology ( SoT ) lecturers led by Dr. Veerakumar Soundrapandian, senior SoT lecturer. The team will guide the kids in engaging in meaningful and personally related computing activities, as well as research and reevaluate the creative ways that computers use technology, she added.
The training program includes a variety of modules designed to instill both technological acumen and critical thinking skills in participants, ranging from fundamental computer operations to basic game mechanics. In combination with the Innovative Computing Workshop, APU pupils, under Hema’s assistance, have developed the NDO Learners Performance Analytics platform. This four-month job highlights the interdependence between generosity and academia, which is responsible for fostering stimulating innovation in education.
NDO enhances the learning experience by providing mechanical kits and teaching secondary skills in English skills and squash, while APU expands its infrastructure and educational support.  ,
The MoU outlines a corporate strategy for creative projects between APU and NDO, spanning domains like sports analytics, systems applications, and education interventions. Both organizations are eager to use their combined knowledge to improve community and lead the charge in this area.
David, who expressed enthrallement for the relationship, hopes that it will have a revolutionary influence on society welfare and youth growth, underscoring the convergent role of sports and education as catalysts for societal change. Meanwhile, Professor Dr. Ho Chin Kuan, vice chancellor of APU, echoes this sentiment, affirming the institution’s commitment to fostering innovation and industry partnership, adding that he envisages a dynamic collaboration, characterised by mutual growth and sustained impact.