CanCode funding Code Mobiles to give young Canadians digital skills needed for jobs of the future
The mobile truck fleet will travel across Canada teaching more than 140,000 young Canadians and their teachers how to code
MISSISSAUGA, ON, April 27, 2018 /CNW/ - Coding and digital skills are essential tools for the well-paying middle class jobs of today and tomorrow. That's why the Government of Canada has made a historic investment to help more than one million young Canadians and their teachers learn digital skills like coding.
During a visit to Whitehorn Public School in Mississauga today, the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, joined by Melissa Sariffodeen, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Canada Learning Code, celebrated the launch of a cross-country tour by Canada Learning Code's Code Mobile fleet.
The Code Mobile is a computer lab on wheels and is equipped with laptops, robotics kits and invention kits. Thanks to support through the Government of Canada's $50-million CanCode program, Code Mobile was able to expand its fleet from one to 13 vehicles and will teach over 140,000 Canadian students from kindergarten to grade 12 and their teachers coding and computational thinking.
The Code Mobile is one of many funded CanCode initiatives now rolling out across Canada.
CanCode is one of the many digital skills programs offered by the Government of Canada to help Canadians access digital technology and the training to use it. It aligns with the Government's Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy to create well-paying jobs and ensure Canadians have the skills to succeed.
Quotes
"Launching the Code Mobile fleet is literally putting innovation into motion! Our government is committed to investing in our number one asset: our talent. We want young Canadians to succeed, so we are helping equip them with the right skills for the middle-class jobs of the future."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
"We're hitting the road in a big way. Thanks to the investment from the CanCode program, we're launching a fleet of 13 Code Mobiles with one bold mission: to introduce more than 140,000 youth and educators across Canada to the power of tech. Book your visit at CodeMobile.ca today!"
– Melissa Sariffodeen, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Learning Code
Quick facts
- CanCode will invest $50 million over two years, starting in 2017–18, to provide almost one million young Canadians, from kindergarten to Grade 12, with opportunities to develop their coding and digital skills.
- The program aims to encourage more girls, Indigenous Canadians and other under-represented groups to pursue careers in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM).
- It will also equip more than 63,000 teachers across the country with training and tools to teach digital skills and coding.
Associated links
Follow the department on Twitter: @ISED_CA
SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
For further information: Karl W. Sasseville, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, 343-291-2500; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]
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