Thought from our Founder

"90% of pupils said they're more interested in studying Computing Science at school after the hackathon."

Industry hold a huge power of influence when engaging with young people around what working in tech is actually like. Creating opportunities to not just visit industry offices but more importantly meet and work with amazing role models in tech can create hugely impactful experiences.

Unfortunately not all pupils yet have the opportunity to experience Computing Science at schools in Scotland and decide if it is something they enjoy. Even among schools that offer the subject, equitable access is still lacking. Compared to traditional STEM subjects, Computing Science has the largest gender gap, the lowest uptake, and the fewest teachers.

The outreach work done by industry partners is invaluable and genuinely makes a difference. Huge credit to Skyscanner and their incredible volunteers. This was some of the feedback from a recent hackathon with dressCodeHQ. Shout out to all the great outreach work that others are doing around this area like SmartSTEMs and Barclays UK.

I truly believe we can reverse the long standing trends of Computing Science at school level in Scotland and create a sustainable tech talent pipeline that starts in the classroom.