From a robot giving evidence to the Lords to virtual reality headsets - why none of the latest tech advancements are possible without coding – FE News - FE News

It’s been a groundbreaking fewer days for the exertion assemblage – from a robot giving grounds to the House of Lords to Mark Zuckerberg unveiling a high-end virtual world headset that helium hopes volition regenerate laptops, and successful turn, alteration the mode radical work.

As tech continues to alteration the mode we unrecorded astatine an unthinkable pace, it means children and young radical request to alteration with it, says Manny Athwal, a coding expert, and laminitis of the UK’s biggest coding school.

In a groundbreaking proceeding connected Tuesday, a robot badged arsenic the “world’s archetypal ultra-realistic robot artist”, appeared successful beforehand of the Lords communications and integer committee arsenic portion of its enquiry into the aboriginal of the originative industries successful the UK.

While, conscionable a time later, Mark Zuckerberg announces the caller Quest Pro – a £1,500 high-end virtual world headset that helium hopes volition alteration however radical work. The headset is aimed astatine the 200 cardinal radical who get a caller PC astatine enactment each twelvemonth and believes that it volition 1 time regenerate those computers. Many of its features are targeted astatine architects, engineers and designers.

Mr Athwal, Chief Executive of West Midlands-based School of Coding, says nary of these breakthroughs would person been imaginable without coding.

“Coding is the future. It powers our full integer satellite and is simply a accomplishment that for young radical is progressively becoming conscionable arsenic important arsenic speechmaking and writing. In fact, young radical tally the hazard of being near down if they don’t grasp an knowing of it,” helium said.

An expanding skills gap

Mr Athwal fears determination volition be an expanding skills spread successful the integer jobs marketplace if young radical are not equipped with the skills of however to code.

“There is simply a increasing integer skills spread created by the accelerated technological developments that we person seen successful the past fewer years.

“The developments being reported successful the media this week show conscionable however overmuch of an interaction coding has connected the satellite we unrecorded successful but I’m not convinced astatine contiguous that determination volition beryllium capable young radical retired determination with the skills to conscionable demands.”

As it stands, the Government’s Industrial Strategy Council estimates that by 2030, 5 cardinal workers could deficiency the basal integer skills needed for the UK workforce.

“The expanding skills spread coupled up with an progressively competitory occupation marketplace means that it’s much important than ever that young radical are equipped with the skills they request for the employment market,” helium said.

Tackling the coding skills gap

Currently, School of Coding is offering young radical successful Shropshire, Wolverhampton and the Black Country the accidental to instrumentality portion successful a programme of free, afloat accredited coding courses.

The intensive courses are aimed astatine 16 to 29 twelvemonth olds who are not presently successful employment, acquisition oregon training. 

With options ranging from a 3 time bootcamp done to a ten-day ‘Introduction to Gaming’ course, the programme volition connection a scope of instauration skills that tin beryllium applied to a assortment of careers successful the exertion sector.

The courses are designed to thatch the basal fundamentals of coding from speechmaking and penning codification done to processing the skills to codification successful Python – the coding connection utilized by satellite starring organisations including Google, Netflix and NASA. No anterior cognition of coding is required.

With the prime of completing the courses remotely oregon astatine 1 of School of Coding’s acquisition centres successful Telford, Shrewsbury oregon Wolverhampton, those who implicit the people volition person a certificate of completion.

For those surviving extracurricular Shropshire, Wolverhampton and the Black Country, Mr Athwal is encouraging parents to motion their kid up for 1 of School of Coding’s escaped proceedings lessons. 

He added: “I would impulse parents to get their kid signed up for 1 of our escaped sessions. Not lone bash we expect that your kid volition truly bask giving coding a spell but it could besides spark an involvement successful a aboriginal vocation successful coding. 

“Coding opens doors and provides opportunities. From bundle design, cyber information done to gaming and truthful overmuch more, the possibilities truly are limitless. Without coders, firms specified arsenic Google, Apple oregon Microsoft wouldn’t exist, which is beauteous unfathomable successful today’s world.” 

By Manny Athwal- CEO of School of Coding Limited UK & SOC Blended Learning Ireland 

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