THE federal government says it is giving young Canadians the digital skills needed for future jobs by providing funding for Can Code programs to teach the next generation of Canadians the coding skills required for the middle class jobs of tomorrow.
And organizations such as The Learning Partnership in Surrey are helping to administer these programs in local schools.
Thanks to this investment in coding and digital skills training at Surrey Centre Elementary School, more young Canadians will be equipped with the in-demand digital literacy and problem-solving skills required by today’s employers.
The investment is being allocated through the new CanCode program, a $50-million federal program that gives students from kindergarten to grade 12 the opportunity to learn coding and other digital skills. The funding will also provide thousands of Canadian teachers with the tools needed to educate Canadian youth on these skills. CanCode is a Budget 2017 commitment aiming to teach digital skills to over one million Canadian students and their teachers.
Navdeep Bains, federal Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, said “Becoming the most innovative country begins with investing in Canadian talent. Our government is committed to equipping Canadian youth with the digital skills they need for the jobs of the future. By teaching kids to code today, we’re positioning Canada for future success across all industries and sectors because these kids will facilitate digital adoption, making all Canadian industries more profitable and globally competitive.”
- CanCode will invest $50 million over two years, starting in 2017–18, to support initiatives providing educational opportunities for coding and digital skills development to Canadian youth from kindergarten to grade 12
- The program will also equip 63,000 teachers across the country with the training and tools to teach digital skills and coding.