Apple has announced the first expansion of the Apple Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (better known as REJI) in Latin America -in this case, in Mexico- by opening two new iOS Development Labs. The labs are located at CETYS Universidad in Tijuana (which opened a few weeks ago) and the Autonomous University of Chiapas in Tapachula.

From their inception, the two new labs located in Baja California and Chiapas will help universities serve more students and create job opportunities in the communities of these two border states.

Alisha Johnson Wilder, director of REJI at Apple, stated, «We are excited to expand our Racial Equity and Justice Initiative to Mexico, building on our existing community education programs. The new iOS Development Lab will help create new opportunities for students from underrepresented backgrounds to develop new skills and pursue professional careers.»

Apple’s Community Education Initiative collaborates with schools and colleges to provide hardware, scholarships, financial support, educator resources, and access to Apple’s team of experts who work closely with educators to enhance student learning through technology. They also invest in large-scale efforts to create learning and economic opportunities for underserved communities.

For example, the Autonomous University of Chiapas holds one of the largest populations of indigenous students in Mexico, with 21,000 students, and CETYS University supports 8 out of every 10 of their 8,000 students with a scholarship.

Apple is working closely with the nonprofit organization Enactus Mexico to create a network of educators who can connect and expand the academic and social impact of these labs, thus increasing their educational footprint. The leaders of this NGO commented:

«As a global organization with more than 45 years working with universities and training students to create social impact around the world, we are excited about the positive impact that the iOS Development Labs will create in different regions of Mexico by scaling opportunities through educational centers, impacting youth and therefore the communities.»

Erwin Bermudez, professor at the Autonomous University of Chiapas, added that «the iOS Development Lab will help bring technology closer to the most remote areas of Chiapas, improve learning, and contribute to graduates having better job opportunities, providing a positive impact on the economic, professional, and personal lives of all who access it.»

With the opening of the two new iOS Development Labs, there are now 12 learning centers throughout México. The labs and their close collaboration with universities are uniquely ndesigned to expand career opportunities within technology for students in Mexico and equip them with the necessary skills to become developers, coders, designers, or app entrepreneurs.

In Tijuana, Dr. Veronica Rojas Mendizabal, director of the Center for Excellence in Innovation and Design (CEID) CETYS, highlights that «through the projects we develop, we want to be agents of change and leave a mark on society,» adding that «the iOS Development Lab will be the breeding ground for apps that impact the quality of life and sustainability of the region.»

Axel Nuño, a student of Computer Science Engineering at CETYS, Tijuana, Baja California, shared, «Developing apps in Swift is an opportunity to put your ideas to work and not leave them stagnant. Sometimes, we have great ideas but can’t find an appropriate place to develop them. Undoubtedly the Swift programming language is an excellent place to do it.»