Coding comes to ITE College West with Microsoft Code for Change

SINGAPORE – 11 April 2016 – Microsoft today conducted coding workshops for
some 700 ITE College West students under its Code for Change programme,
introducing them to the basics of coding for app creation and computational
thinking. Held over two sessions for students across the four schools at the
College – the School of Electronics
& Info-Comm Technology, School of Hospitality, School of Engineering and
School of Business & Services – the workshops provided students across various fields of
study with the opportunity to learn and share the experience of coding
alongside their peers. The
activity also marks the first large-scale on-campus training for post-secondary students under the Code
for Change programme.

Launched in July 2015, Code for Change is a three-year nationwide initiative spearheaded by Microsoft, supported by the Infocomm
Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and the Science Centre Singapore, to
boost next-generation talent development in support of Singapore’s Smart Nation
vision. Through Code for Change, Microsoft is leading specific
programmes to help young talents nationwide develop computational thinking
skills. Defined as the ability to dissect problems and formulate
solutions in a way that computers can understand and evaluate, computational
thinking is an increasingly important skillset in the technology-permeated
landscape.

During the workshops held
today, the ITE College West students tried their hand at building apps through
Touch Develop, an interactive programming environment developed by Microsoft
Research. Using their mobile phones or laptops, the students were exposed to
how they can easily code on familiar everyday devices in a fun and accessible
manner.

The workshops were designed to
allow all students, regardless of knowledge of coding or course of study, to
create their own app by the end of the session. Besides those enrolled in the
four courses from the School
of Electronics & Info-Comm Technology (Higher Nitec in
Information Technology, Higher Nitec in Cyber and Network
Security, Higher Nitec in Electronics Engineering and Higher
Nitec in Security System Integration), ITE College West students who participated in the
training also come from other fields of study including the Higher Nitec in
Hospitality Operations course from the School of Hospitality, the Nitec in
Automotive Technology (Light Vehicles) and Nitec in Automotive
Technology (Heavy Vehicles) courses from the School of Engineering and the Higher
Nitec in Leisure & Travel Operations andHigher Nitec in
Service Management courses from the School of Business & Services.

“As Singapore
transforms into a Smart Nation, it is important for the workforce of tomorrow to
understand how technology works and how it can be used to improve the way we
work, live and play. Coding and computational thinking are no
longer areas that are important only to those in the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics
(STEM) fields. In fact, computational thinking is also embraced for its
wide applicability to solve everyday problems. We are proud to be able to
work closely with partners, schools and institutions such as the ITE to
introduce coding to even more students and equip young talents with the
necessary skillsets to become innovators of the future. Through Code
for Change and our other initiatives, Microsoft will continue
to get more people started on their coding journey and contribute towards the development of computational thinking as a national
capability,” said Nobuhiro Ito, Director, Developer Experience &
Evangelism, Microsoft Singapore.

“As we
prepare our students to be ready for their careers, we hope this coding
workshop will help them develop computational thinking skills such as
analytical and problem solving skills, creativity and logical thinking. These
skills are transferable assets across industries and will certainly allow them
to contribute more in their future jobs,” said Tan Kay Chuan, Director, School
of Electronics & Info-Comm Technology, ITE College West.

Since
its launch last year, Code for Change has reached over 147,000
learners and youths through various coding programmes such as learning
experiences through on and off-campus curricula, events and competitions that
impart the fundamental concepts of programming for software, applications and
websites. Examples include Kodu coding workshops for lower primary students, Hour of Code
programmes for upper primary and lower secondary students, Touch Develop and
Project Spark workshops for secondary school, post-secondary and junior college
students, and the Microsoft Imagine Cup
Competition for institutes of
higher learning.

Microsoft
and Science Centre Singapore also joined hands to achieve a record-breaking
feat that made its way into the Singapore Book of Records for the Largest Number of
People Wearing Illuminated LED T-Shirts. The event saw over 180 students from
17 schools across Singapore, as well as participants from Microsoft and Science
Centre Singapore, come together to design and code individual LED T-Shirts,
which lit up in unison to complete the record-breaking milestone.

In
addition, Microsoft has leveraged its partner network to conduct coding
workshops for students and adults at Science Centre Singapore, and support
Science Centre Singapore’s efforts in fostering widespread interest in the STEM
fields.

Code
for Change events
are running throughout the year and upcoming events opened to the public
include:

·         24 May 2016 – The
Computing Games at Tanglin Trust School: http://tanglincomputing.com/

·         25-26 June 2016 – Maker
Faire Singapore at Singapore University of Technology and Design (including the
Microsoft DigiGirlz programme): https://makerfairesingapore.com/