Coding fund of £1.3 million for Welsh pupils announced

A drive to connect Welsh pupils with coding, backed with £1.3 million of new funding, has been announced by the education secretary Kirsty Williams.

With the funds, the Welsh Government aims to expand Code Clubs in every part of Wales.

Approximately 300 clubs currently exist across the country and the education secretary wants all pupils to have the opportunity to learn about and get involved in coding as the importance of digital skills continues to grow.

There are currently around 1.5 million jobs in the digital sector in the UK, 400,000 of which involve coding. It is estimated that there will be 100,000 new coding jobs by 2020.

The new plan to expand Code Clubs in Wales – ‘Cracking the code’, aims to: raise awareness and highlight the benefits of Code Clubs to teachers, pupils and parents; break down barriers to participation in code clubs; broker and facilitate coding experiences with business and industry.

Kirsty Williams said: “Through this £1.3m of new investment we are aiming to expand the number Code Clubs in every area of Wales for learners aged 3-16 so that they can develop their skills which will be a vital part of thriving in our increasingly digital economy.

“We will work with teachers, the education consortia and others to help us crack the code for all our pupils.”