Blast off: the APT Rocket.Build Academy competition invites students to get programming!

London, UK, May 10 2017 - Rocket Software has partnered with APT Solutions to launch its APT Rocket.Build Academy programming competition, providing university students the chance to win £5,000 and an all-expenses paid trip to a future Rocket.Build event to be held in Boston, USA.

With the UK technology industry struggling to fill the growing IT skills gap, the competition aims to inspire a new generation of developers, encouraging them to “create and innovate” using a complete MultiValue development platform. Students who are interested can enter either as an individual or in a team of four, and have until 31 July to turn their ideas into a reality as part of the APT Rocket.Build Academy.

Rocket Software UK director Richard Whomes said, “The MultiValue community is crying out for new talent. The APT Rocket.Build Academy competition invites students to show off their programming skills and to test their creativity. The opportunities out there are huge and we want to encourage young developers to look at different programming languages and platforms as they build their future careers.

“Our customers have told us that attracting and retaining developers with the right skills can be a challenge. We want the APT Rocket.Build Academy to inspire students to choose a career in MultiValue programming and step up to fill this gap.

“We’re looking forward to what our UK university students develop as part of the competition, and encourage anyone, no matter what they’re studying, to get involved.

“For the students who are lucky enough to win the trip to Boston for the Rocket.Build event, it will be a fantastic opportunity to hone their programming skills in a collaborative, yet competitive, environment,” Mr Whomes said.

What’s involved
APT Rocket.Build Academy 2017 will require students to work with UniData, which includes Python; a native programming language widely taught in universities. Using the Rocket MultiValue application platform, students will develop their most innovative solutions using Rocket software products including Rocket Discover (a Business Intelligence tool), SB/XA (a rapid application development tool), and Web DE (a tool for Web and mobile application development).

How to join in
To enter, students can visit the APT Rocket.Build Academy website, which also features additional resources and FAQs.

About Rocket Software

Rocket Software (www.rocketsoftware.com) is a technology company that helps organisations in the IBM ecosystem build solutions that meet today’s needs while extending the value of their technology investments for the future. Thousands of companies depend on Rocket to solve their most challenging business problems by helping them run their critical infrastructure, business processes, and data, as well as extend those assets to take advantage of cloud, mobile, analytics, and other future innovations. Founded in 1990, Rocket is based in Waltham, Massachusetts with locations in Europe, Asia, and Australia.