Preparing young people for the future of work.
Providing primary school children in Northern Ireland access to creative, innovative and fun digital education.
Setting the scene
The Hive Hacker program is a branch of PwC UK’s free Education Outreach program Hive Academy which is aimed at primary school students.With an estimated 20-40% of jobs possibly becoming automated by 20301, across OECD countries for young people aged 16 - 24 years, there is a pressing need for organisations to come together to help young people prepare for the jobs of the future. Hive Academy was designed and developed to help address this issue by engaging young people early and bridging the gap between education and real-world experience and skills.
Hive Hackers aims to inspire and teach six to eleven year olds about computer coding and technology - not just as end users but as potential designers and creators of applications and solutions by giving students and their teachers skills in the basics of computer coding. This program was designed by a trained teacher and PwC UK team member, and aims to engage students with activity based learning.
How we helped
PwC volunteers visit primary schools across Northern Ireland with lesson plans, slideshows and knowledge to share! Through practical exercises, the volunteers use the computer based program to show students the simple fundamentals of coding including:
- Sequencing
- Loops
- Debugging
- Events and Conditionals, to name but a few.
The program has been mapped to the Northern Ireland school curriculum with many additional essential skills included.
Impact
PwC UK’s Hive Hacker program continues to grow with over 7,000 students and teachers participating since 2017. At a recent awards ceremony for Hive Hackers there were over 350 students who attended in Belfast with students being recognised for completing a seven week course on the fundamentals of coding.
“Hive Academy supports teachers and students and ensures that those at the forefront of emerging technologies are able to help guide the next generation. This initiative helps the firm to meet our Purpose of building trust in society and solving important problems.”
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Colm Kelly
Global Corporate Sustainability Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited
Global Corporate Sustainability Managing Director, PricewaterhouseCoopers International Limited