TechTown Chattanooga hosted an "Hour of Code" on Saturday, in preparation for this week's Computer Science Education Week which begins Monday, and runs through this Sunday.
“We had a full house Saturday of kids as young as 5-years-old up to adults in their seventies doing ‘Hour of Code’ tutorials led by TechTown Chattanooga staff,” said Cordell Carter, CEO of TechTown Foundation.
Code.org and its supporters started "Hour of Code" week to help expose more kids to computer science and teach them STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) skills they'll need to fill these jobs in the future.
"TechTown is uniquely positioned to offer students, teachers and the community an introduction to computer science and coding and the many doors that these skills can open,” said Mr. Carter. “We have all seen the power of computer science training – how it shapes critical thinking skills and creativity and builds resilience. These are not just job skills, they are life skills that will be essential for the next generation.”
TechTown Chattanooga staff is partnering with Battle Academy this week, doing an "Hour of Code" with all 356 Battle Academy students during Computer Science Education Week.
“Battle Academy has seen amazing interest from our students who participated in Hour of Code in the last two years, and we are thrilled to be able to expand the training to include every grade level,” said Katie Hetrick, instructional facilitator and IT coordinator at Battle Academy. “We are excited for our students to have access to the educational resources that TechTown can provide, and better understand where computer science careers can lead them.”
"Hour of Code" is an annual international initiative to help get kids interested in computer science sponsored by Code.org, some of the biggest names in the technology industry including Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg and companies like Facebook, Google and Microsoft.
Computer Science Education Week was designed to demystify computer science and show that anyone can learn the basics. This international initiative started in 2013, backed by President Barack Obama, the late Steve Jobs, and a host of celebrities, sports stars and elected officials.
They are currently more than a half million computer science jobs open right now in the United States that companies can't fill because there aren't enough workers with the skills needed to be hired. These statistics show it's going to take learning centers like TechTown Chattanooga, partnering with schools and other organizations to prepare kids for the 21st century workforce.
- By the year 2020, there will be more than one million computer science jobs open, but only 400,000 computer science students.
- Less than 2.4% of college students graduate with a degree in computer science.
- Last year, only 38,175 computer science students graduated into the workforce.
- Only 27 states allow students to count computer science courses toward high school graduation.