Academy of Coding in the Czech Republic and Slovakia

Academy of Coding started in the Czech Republic and expanded into Slovakia. Czechs and Slovaks are described as slightly lagging in advanced digital skills behind the most advanced countries, with challenges including a skills gap in advanced computer-science skills, an economy focused on manufacturing/assembly rather than innovation, schools with insufficient ability to teach advanced CS skills, low interest in STEM subjects, and low graduation levels of girls in IT subjects.

In the Czech Republic the programme focuses on encouraging all kids and youth to code, both inside and outside school, with special emphasis on girls. In Slovakia the focus is fully on encouraging girls to code. In both countries the programme also trains teachers to teach coding and targets remote regions where access to computer science is limited.

The programme delivers classroom and after-school coding education, interactive tutorials and classroom training for teachers, summer coding camps, and discussion workshops on barriers and opportunities for girls in computer science. Stakeholders include Microsoft Czech Republic and Slovakia, the NGOs Czechitas (CZ) and Aj ty v IT (SK), and the Czech and Slovak National Coalitions for Digital Jobs.

Over four years in the Czech Republic, the programme reports reaching almost 7,000 kids in classrooms and 6,000 via online tutorials, and training 250+ ICT teachers. During its first pilot year in Slovakia it trained 60+ teachers, who delivered coding classes in their schools, and ran full-day coding workshops for 60+ girls nationally.