Supporting the innovators of the future
All parents dream about what their children will grow up to do. Will they be a nurse? A farmer? A scientist or a performer?
Increasingly, they are asking themselves if their children will one day work in one of the countless career paths that are being transformed by technology.
Computer science, or CS, is helping people to innovate in an increasing number of professions, from hospitality to hospitals. You don't have to become a computer scientist, but having skills in computational thinking and coding it and combining it with your passion will open up a world of opportunities.
Research shows that 75% of the fastest growing occupations require skills in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM), which are the building blocks for a career in CS.
We believe New Zealand's innovation, growth and future prosperity depends on developing critical skills in STEM.
A career in CS begins in the classroom. Teachers are the key to both educating and inspiring the next generation of innovators in the classroom and we’re delighted to continue supporting their development through our Computer Science for High Schools (CS4HS) program.
Teachers participating in a robotics workshop at Google
CS4HS provides teachers with the skills and resources they need to teach computational thinking and computer science concepts in fun and engaging ways. To date, CS4HS has trained more than 20,000 teachers, reaching an estimated 1 million students in more than 400 locations worldwide. Closer to home, we are supporting four organisations in New Zealand that will provide this important training to K-12 school teachers (the full list is below). This year, we hope to reach around 3,500 high school, primary school and pre-service Aussie and Kiwi teachers.
In addition to the workshops, we are also providing free online professional teacher development in partnership with Adelaide University.
If you want to know where computer science can take kids, have a look at Careers with Code. In the future, young New Zealanders will use computer science to do great things. And it will all have started with a great teacher.
We’re pleased to announce this year’s recipients of the CS4HS grants in New Zealand.
2016 CS4HS Funding Recipients for New Zealand
- CORE Education
- The University of Canterbury - Primary Workshop
- The University of Canterbury - Secondary Workshop
- Victoria University of Wellington
