Whereas most Code Clubs are held in schools and community venues such as libraries, this move sees UKFast become the only commercial organisation in the region to deliver Code Clubs on-site at its 50,000 sq ft campus at Manchester Science Park, giving kids a taste for how coding skills apply to a real career in the technology industry.
As Code Club’s North West Co-ordinator, Liz Smart, explains: “What makes Code Club unique is that children aged 9-11 get to experience learning outside of a formal teaching environment, with the help of a local volunteer.
‘Running a Code Club is such an energising experience. It means we are getting more kids in here and helping to create the next generation of tech experts as well as helping give them opportunities to have fun and learn new things. It’s another way of being pro-active in order to meet the digital skills gap we hear so much about’
To bring Code Club into UKFast is fantastic… being able to link both the teachers and the kids with professionals working in the industry is amazing for their development, and the development of Code Club.
“When we take kids into a great space like UKFast Campus it’s really helpful. It gives them a different experience of what coding is and shows them what this interest can lead to in terms of their future.”
UKFast CEO, Lawrence Jones MBE, who employed two former teachers to head up the firm’s training division in 2013, has always ensured education is a major focus for his firm, which engages with thousands of children from schools across Greater Manchester. Jones says: “Running a Code Club is such an energising experience. It means we are getting more kids in here and helping to create the next generation of tech experts as well as helping give them opportunities to have fun and learn new things. It’s another way of being pro-active in order to meet the digital skills gap we hear so much about.
“From the point of view of our team at UKFast, running Code Clubs allows people from different departments to get involved and it gives people another platform to interact and develop themselves.”