RALEIGH --  Governor Roy Cooper encouraged high school students across North Carolina to participate in the state’s first application development competition. Ready, Set, App! teams of 3 to 5 students are challenged with developing a functional and original Android mobile application to solve a real-world problem in their school or community.

“Students see the world through fresh eyes. Their creativity can find solutions we may not know we need but soon cannot live without,” said Governor Cooper. “The Ready, Set, App! challenge is a way for North Carolina’s high schoolers to change the world for the better, and I encourage interested students to find a team and get coding.”

Ready, Set, App! is a collaborative effort between Lenovo and the North Carolina Business Committee for Education, a non-profit within the governor’s office. . All ninth – twelfth grade public and charter school students are eligible and there is no cost to participate.

With more than 27,000 Information Technology jobs currently unfilled in North Carolina, the Ready, Set, App! challenge provides a boost for students to explore the potential of computer science careers. In addition to expanding computer science skills, Ready, Set, App! hones teamwork skills, problem solving, and encourages students to be entrepreneurs.

“Lenovo is committed to creating technology that fosters learning and empowering students and teachers with the skills needed for employment in the digital age,” said Lisa Marie Ferrell, Senior Director of Communications, Lenovo. “To encourage student interest in coding, problem solving, and collaboration, we’ve partnered with the North Carolina Business Committee for Education to create the Ready, Set, App! program and are excited to see the apps that the bright young minds in our state create through this competition.”

The competition opened in August and runs until November 1, 2019