Partnership with Canada Learning Code will see more than 272,000 Canadian students and their teachers have the opportunity to learn digital skills
EDMONTON, July 15, 2019 /CNW/ - Canada needs a workforce savvy in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), capable of competing in the digital economy. That's why, to prepare the next generation of Canadian workers to succeed in the increasingly digital economy, the Government of Canada is supporting millions of young Canadians who want to improve their digital skills.
During a visit to the Edmonton Public Library's Mill Woods Branch today, the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources, on behalf of the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced $9.4 million in funding for Canada Learning Code (CLC) as part of the second phase of the Government of Canada's CanCode program.
CanCode gives students from kindergarten to Grade 12 the opportunity to learn digital skills, like coding, data analytics and digital content development, including artificial intelligence. The program also helps Canadian teachers acquire the know-how to incorporate new digital skills and technologies into their classrooms, and it encourages young women, Indigenous peoples and other under-represented groups to pursue careers in STEM. In its first phase, CanCode provided training to more than 1.9 million students and teachers across Canada.
This federal funding will enable Canada Learning Code to offer coding and digital skills training to over 272,000 students, from kindergarten to Grade 12. In addition, CLC will provide more than 15,000 teachers across the country with the opportunity to gain skills to teach coding in their classrooms or to perfect those skills. Through its Code Mobile fleet, which is fully equipped with laptops and coding labs, Canada Learning Code will offer learning experiences to under-represented groups in rural and remote communities across Canada.
CanCode aligns with Canada's Digital Charter, a made-in-Canada, principles-based approach to building trust in the digital world. The first principle of the Charter is focused on ensuring that all Canadians have equal opportunity to participate in the digital world and the necessary tools to do so, including access, connectivity, literacy and skills.
Quotes
"Technology impacts our everyday lives. Learning digital skills and coding, as well as how technology serves us, will open so many doors for our young people. Giving all children the opportunity to become tech-savvy and learn coding will further strengthen our success as a country."
– The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Natural Resources
"Young Canadians will drive our economic success for years to come. By investing in resources to teach them digital skills and making higher education more affordable, our government is helping them transition successfully from classrooms to research labs, shop floors or boardrooms."
– The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
"Knowing the fundamentals of coding and computer science empowers people to be able to understand and create technology, not just consume it. Thanks to the support of CanCode, Canada Learning Code's Code Mobile initiative will have greater reach across Canada to help youth in K-12 and educators in communities large and small be a part of our digital future."
– Melissa Sariffodeen, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Canada Learning Code
Quick facts
- Budget 2019 has invested $60 million in CanCode. This investment is in addition to the $50 million from Budget 2017, for a total of $110 million.
- To date, over 1.9 million students and 61,000 teachers have participated in CanCode activities. With this new funding, CanCode aims to provide an additional 2 million Canadian students and teachers with training by March 2021.
- CanCode has a student stream and a teacher stream. CanCode funding recipients deliver digital skills learning opportunities for students from kindergarten to Grade 12 and/or training programs and workshops for teachers.
- CanCode is designed to complement educational curricula and to promote, encourage and spark awareness of and interest in coding and digital skills more broadly. The long-term goal is to make Canada a leading innovation economy with a diverse and inclusive workforce.
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SOURCE Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
Dani Keenan, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, 343-291-1710; Media Relations, Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada, 343-291-1777, [email protected]
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