Kainos supports international Hour of Code through Tech Outreach programme

Date posted
1 December 2016
Reading time
4 Minutes

Kainos supports international Hour of Code through Tech Outreach programme

Kainos is proud to announce support for Northern Regional College for the second year running as they bring together primary and secondary schools from mid-Ulster to take part in the Hour of Code? initiative on Wednesday 7 December. Hour of Code is a global movement reaching millions of students in over 180 countries. Over the course of Computer Science Education Week (5-11 December), organisations around the world run hour-long coding activities designed to introduce young people to computer science. In previous years, organisations such as Microsoft, Apple and Amazon have participated, and even US President Barack Obama typed his first line of code as part of the event. The Hour of Code objectives align closely with the Kainos Tech Outreach programme, which aims to help young people improve their digital skills and empower teachers to teach computer programming confidently. "Learning to code helps students nurture many valuable, transferrable skills that are essential in their future careers,' says Gemma Crothers, Tech Outreach Manager at Kainos. 'As well as introducing them to logic, problem-solving and creative design, coding helps them understand the fundamentals of the digital technology that is at the heart of much of modern life. Even an hour of coding gives students a taste of how enjoyable and accessible it can be. It's great for teachers, too, who gain experience of teaching coding in a safe and supported environment.' Kainos will be running multiple Hour of Code sessions at NRC over the course of the day. CodeBugs will be used to provide hands-on experience of coding, and students will be encouraged to write their own computer programme and find out more about the digital career opportunities open to them. 'Young people are the future of the digital economy in Northern Ireland, and in order to help secure that future Kainos has made a commitment to inspire, enthuse and educate them through our Tech Outreach programme,' concludes Gemma. 'That's why we're delighted to support Northern Regional College's Hour of Code and give students a taste of the possibilities available to them in computer science.'