EIGHTY young people from across Northern Ireland attended this year’s Kainos CodeCamp.
This is the third year of the digital solutions company’s free course, aimed at year 11-14 students studying STEM subjects and supported by Queen’s University, Belfast City Council and South Belfast Partnership.
The Kainos CodeCamp was designed to introduce young people to computer programming and improve their technical skills. Over the two weeks, software developers and mentors from Kainos, Queen’s and Liberty IT provide training and deliver workshops in a number of technologies including Android, iOS and Raspberry Pi.
Participants not only learn basic coding techniques, but also get a chance to develop their own apps to let them experience what working in an IT/technical environment would be like, and to understand the different roles available within the industry.
Dr Phil Hanna, Director of Education at the School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Queen’s, said: “The camp is a brilliant way to inspire the next generation of technical professionals. “The students can gain a better understanding of app development and different types of coding, along with working in a professional environment.”
Gemma Crothers, technology outreach manager at Kainos, said: “CodeCamp’s main goal is to inspire young people to become creators of technology, rather than just consumers of it. They know how to use the latest technology, but they don’t understand the role they could also have in building it. Our main aim is to give the participants a passion for buildingapplications, and enable them to use the latest technical tools available to them.”
Briege Arthurs, CEO of South Belfast Partnership Board, said: “It’s encouraging to see so many children give up two weeks of their summer break to develop their technical knowledge.
“These young people are the future of the workforce in Northern Ireland, and it’s our responsibility to ensure that the workforce of the future is trained in best practice and kept up-to-date with the latest technological advancements.