As artificial intelligence continues to influence the trajectory of the job market and our way of working, there is an increasing need for all Canadians to access training in digital skills, the federal government believes.
That is why the Government of Canada is investing $39 million toward teaching digital skills to young Canadians—and their teachers—to help ensure tomorrow’s talent will be ready for tomorrow’s tech roles.
The investment is into CanCode. The CanCode program is designed to complement educational curricula by promoting awareness of, and sparking interest in, coding and other digital skills among Canadian youth.
“Programs like CanCode facilitate their smooth transition from classrooms to research labs and will contribute to Canada’s sustained economic growth for years to come,” stated federal minister François-Philippe Champagne.
Now in its fourth phase, the CanCode program is seeking applications from not-for-profit organizations for projects offering students from kindergarten through grade 12 the opportunity to learn digital skills such as coding and AI.
This iteration of the program aims to offer learning opportunities to 1.5 million students and train 100,000 teachers to incorporate digital skills into their classrooms.
“We are investing in young people who are training in coding, artificial intelligence, and digital skills,” stated minister Champagne, “to prepare them for future success in the 21st-century economy.”
Since its launch in 2017, CanCode has invested over $229M into organizations which have in turn helped over nine million students combined.
