{"id":1391,"date":"2014-03-10T16:11:53","date_gmt":"2014-03-10T16:11:53","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/?p=1391"},"modified":"2014-03-10T16:11:53","modified_gmt":"2014-03-10T16:11:53","slug":"new-initiative-sees-youngsters-address-the-it-skills-shortage","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/english.thesunrisetoday.com\/index.php\/new-initiative-sees-youngsters-address-the-it-skills-shortage\/","title":{"rendered":"New initiative sees youngsters address the IT skills shortage"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Tower\"<\/a>Tower Hamlets Council in association with Workshare, Raspberry Pi and the BCS – Chartered Institute of IT launched an innovative project aimed at the borough\u2019s young people.
\nThe Raspberry Pi project was launched at the Whitechapel Centre on Monday, March 3 and engages young people in computer science through developing coding skills and awarding internships in addition to building awareness of careers in IT
\nThe initiative addresses the need to improve Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) skills among young people and will help to address the IT skills shortage that is causing job vacancies across the tech industry.
\nAccording to research by the UK Commission for Employment and Skills, one in five jobs in the UK are unfilled due to skills shortages across industries, including IT and computing.
\nThis initiative will provide young people with greater visibility into the world of technology and what future path they could take working for a tech-based international company like Workshare.
\nMayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, said: \u201cI\u2019m pleased to be working in partnership with some fantastic organisations which not only gives our young people the skills needed to excel but also widens their prospects for the future.
\n\u201cInitiatives like this are brilliant at encouraging young people to explore their options – especially when the programme could end with a paid internship at Workshare.\u201d
\nStudents can enter a competition at the end of the programme to develop their own application which will be presented to a panel of Workshare and industry judges
\nThe top three students will be awarded a paid internship with Workshare who are committed to engaging the community, while also solving important social challenges in the area.
\nThe lessons have been developed in conjunction with Dr Andrew Robinson of Manchester University, and recruitment social enterprise, Resonate, and will be delivered by the council\u2019s youth workers and Workshare over five weeks.
\nThe group of 40 recruited from schools, sixth forms, colleges and youth centers around the borough will learn to program the Raspberry Pi \u2013 a UK developed single-board computer designed to promote the teaching of basic computer science in schools.
\nCabinet member for Children, Schools & Families, Cllr Oliur Rahman, said: \u201cThis is a great opportunity for our young people to get ahead and build skills which can improve their learning and career opportunities.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/div>\r\n