ST. JOHN’S, NL – The provincial government has announced funding to expose students to coding and give them to an opportunity take part in technology experience programs.
The Department of Tourism, Culture, Industry and Innovation will contribute $250,000 to establish a partnership with Brilliant Labs – an Atlantic Canadian organization that supports coding, computational thinking and Maker Education in schools.
The organization will provide youth in grades K-12 with hands-on participation in activities focused on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, meanwhile, is adding $150,000 for professional learning and resources for schools and is also providing two itinerant teaching units to support Brilliant Labs’ work.
The funding will help Brilliant Labs provide educational technologies such as interface equipment, sensors, programming languages and 3D printing in the province’s schools.
“Empowering our youth and our educators is crucial in ensuring the well-being and growth of our region,” Brilliant Labs’ Jeff Wilson said in an April 16 news release.
“We are very grateful for the opportunity to support this initiative which will energize a multi-sector collaboration designed to inspire and engage the young people of Newfoundland and Labrador in developing the coding and digital skills they will need to play an active role in shaping a socially responsible and technologically advanced future.”
Brilliant Labs will start its efforts in elementary schools in the province.
