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Canada helps prepare young Guelph people for a digital middle class

Federal government is giving young Canadians across Canada and in Guelph the digital skills needed for future jobs to teach students and teachers coding and digital skills required for the middle-class jobs of tomorrow
CanCode Announcement
Provided photo

NEWS RELEASE
GOVERNMENT OF CANADA
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The federal government is investing in young Canadians to provide them with the digital skills needed for the middle-class jobs of tomorrow.

Thanks to a $12.5 million investment in coding and digital skills training in Ontario, more young Canadians will be equipped with the in-demand digital literacy and problem-solving skills required by today’s employers.

In Ontario 326,522 students and 20,110 teachers will benefit from the digital skills they will learn. 

The funding was announced by Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament during a visit to the University of Guelph, with Let’s Talk Science volunteers working with the U of G. Fusion Jeunesse, Actua and Let’s Talk Science will be partnering with the U of G and Guelph Collegiate Vocational Institute to support and engage educators and students with face to face learning experience which are critical to their future success in the Canadian workforce.

The investment is being allocated through CanCode, 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 in these skills.

CanCode is a Budget 2017 commitment aiming to teach digital skills to over one million Canadian students and their teachers.

Quotes

“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.” – The Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development

“This investment is great news for students in Guelph. It gives our youth the opportunity to learn the digital skills they need for future employment and further study in high-demand STEM fields.” – Lloyd Longfield, Member of Parliament for Guelph

“In the next 10 years, over 70 per cent of jobs will require some background in science, technology, engineering and math. The CanCode funding allows us to provide Canadian educators with access to our professional learning workshops and an action project they can participate in with their students. We will engage learners in building critical skills such as computational thinking and coding in relevant and meaningful ways. CanCode funding will help ensure students develop skills needed to thrive in a rapidly changing world.” - Bonnie Schmidt, president and founder, Let’s Talk Science. Government of Canada

Quick facts

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.

Associated links

CanCode
Innovation and Skills Plan

Follow Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada on Twitter: @ISED_CA

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