RIYADH: Apple Developer Academy, which aims to create a generation of female tech leaders and entrepreneurs, celebrated the graduation of a second group of 190 female trainees at Princess Nourah bint Abdul Rahman University.  Enas Al-Essa, president of the university, congratulated the students and said that the academy is helping to prepare the local workforce by providing them with the highest levels of education. The academy introduces students to all aspects of app development, including research, design, user experience, prototyping and marketing. An increased number of students attended the academy this year, and a total of 36 apps were developed by students. One of the apps, “Qurb,” is a platform dedicated to psychological health presented in Arabic. It was developed by Fatima Aljaber, Asayel Alrwili, Israa Kheder and Maryam Alotaibi.  Aljaber told Arab News that she had previously received iOS training, but joining the academy further expanded her knowledge. The academy also introduced her to “marvellous people, teachers and (helped her to) learn about business, and how to work on an idea and transfer it to a successful business,” she said. Aljaber said the app is based on cognitive-behavioral therapy. “It is safe, simple and effective. Qurb will help you get closer to yourself to reach your best version,” she added. “Our goal is to help people to get to know themselves, to feel emotionally better, and to be able to deal with their daily emotions which reflect on their actions and daily tasks positively.” Developers Omnya Semida, Rand Alhassoun, Salma Aloraifi, Norah Almusaad and Razan Rubui decided to take a creative route by developing the “Sabbara” app, a word game for two players or more that relies on speed to guess the right word. Semida said she and her colleagues gave the app a creative twist by focusing on its design and making It accessible in Arabic. “As a group, we admire playing group games. It was one of the things that we were spending time on during our 30-minute break in the academy.” Semida said she was able to excel in ways she could not have imagined. “At the academy, I was able to accomplish goals that I could not think of achieving within only nine months. Knowledge has been acquired, memories have been created and friendships have been made as well. “I learned how to design the user interfaces for an iOS app, how to care about the user experience, and even how to present and pitch my apps.” Shaan Pruden, senior director of partnership management at Apple, said: “We’re so proud to be playing a part in increasing the number of app developers in Saudi Arabia.” Speaking to students, she said: “You need to remember to stay connected to the people that you met here, whether they were your fellow learners, your mentors, or people who came and spoke at the program.”