Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister Navdeep Bains announced $1.4 million in funding for FIRST Robotics as part of the government’s second phase of the CanCode program.
During a press conference in Mississauga, Ontario, Bains said the money will help deliver digital skills and coding training to students from kindergarten to grade 12 and also to teachers across the country.
FIRST Robotics will ensure 80,000 students and 5,000 teachers will get the training.
“Young Canadians will drive our economic success for years to come. By investing in resources to teach them digital skills and making higher education more affordable, our government is helping them transition successfully from classrooms to research labs, shop floors or boardrooms,” Bains said.
CanCode was announced in 2017 through Budget 2017, which said the program will get $50 million over two years. In Budget 2019, the program received an additional $60 million.
The second phase of the program will result in more than two million Canadian students and teachers receiving training by March 2021.
The program gives students the opportunity to “learn digital skills, like coding, data analytics and digital content development, including artificial intelligence.”
“The program also provides Canadian teachers with the know-how to incorporate new digital skills and technologies into their classrooms, and it encourages young women, Indigenous peoples and other under-represented groups to pursue careers in STEM,” the government said.
