Cash for coding: bridging the digital divide in Hampstead

£250,000 of funding to boost the employability of young people has been unveiled by Camden Council.

A three year, £250,000 project will help school children gain valuable ICT and coding skills, to raise awareness of the career possibilities that ICT skills can open up.

The money a will fund specially designed courses to teach coding to around 100 Year 9 pupils a year for the next three years. The courses would be 'practical and hard-edged', teaching pupils and teachers how to design and code their own multi-platform apps.  

Employers across London are struggling to find people with the right skills and it is hoped the project will help to bridge the digital divide between employers and school leavers looking for work.

Take up of ICT qualifications is low in Camden's schools with just over half of pupils at Key Stage 4 taking ICT and only 76 academic and 15 vocational qualifications taken at Key Stage 5.

Camden Council cabinet member for regeneration and growth, Councillor Valerie Leach, said: "We are committed to making sure that nobody gets left behind by doing everything we can to support local jobs and economic growth. We want to make our school leavers more employable and Camden an even more attractive place for businesses to operate.

"By setting aside this funding we can work up a full programme with partners to provide skills for school children and in a fun way to stimulate their interest in programming and start them on a rewarding career path."