CanCode

The call for proposal is now closed.

CanCode proved to be a huge success reaching over 4.5 million students and over 220,000 teachers in four years, and still counting! We are pleased to announce that we are extending CanCode to build on that success.

This extension will see an additional $80 million over three years starting in 2021-2022 to support opportunities for Canadian students (kindergarten to grade 12) to learn digital skills including coding, data analytics, and digital content development. It will also support initiatives that provide K-12 teachers with the training and professional development they need to introduce digital skills and coding related concepts into the classroom.

CanCode aims to equip Canadian youth, with a focus on inclusion of underrepresented groups, with the skills they need to be prepared for further studies, including advanced digital skills and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) courses, leading to the jobs of the future. Canada's success in the digital economy depends on leveraging our diverse talent and providing opportunity for all to participate — investing in digital skills development will help to achieve this.

Digital skills, like coding and understanding how to use new technologies to solve real world problems have become increasingly vital across all sectors of the global economy. For example, learning to code at a young age helps to develop analytical thinking and fosters problem-solving techniques—skills that are important for further study in STEM fields and are becoming increasingly in-demand for the job market.

CanCode 3.0 builds on the success and momentum of CanCode 1.0 and 2.0, launched in 2017 and renewed in 2019. CanCode was part of the 2017 Innovation and Skills Plan, a multi-year strategy to create well-paying jobs for the middle class. This initiative aims to create a strong, more resilient Canada by providing youth with a pathway to employment, with a focus on inclusion of underrepresented groups, including girls, Indigenous youth, Black youth, youth with disabilities, and youth living in rural, remote and Northern communities.

By reaching out to young people inside and outside the school environment and providing coding and digital skills training in community settings, CanCode seeks to accommodate different learning styles, stimulate and sustain interest in STEM fields, and appeal to a wide diversity of young people in a variety of ways. A broad and inclusive approach to digital skills training for young people and teachers will contribute to diversifying the digital technology sector in the future. This third phase of CanCode will encourage more intensive training, particularly for underrepresented groups.

CanCode aligns with Canada's Digital Charter, a made-in-Canada, principles-based approach to building trust in the digital world. The first principle of the Charter is focused on ensuring that all Canadians have equal opportunity to participate in the digital world and the necessary tools to do so, including access, connectivity, literacy and skills.

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