New Subsidy Helps Kids Dive into the Digital World
The NSW Government in Australia has acknowledged the growing demand for digitally creative skills, with a cash bonus to encourage children into coding.
The Creative Kids Rebate program, to commence at the start of the 2019 school year, provides a $100 voucher for every primary-aged child to go toward tuition fees for coding, as well as extra-curricular learning in music, visual and performing arts.
Hayley Markham, co-founder and COO of Code Camp, one of Australia’s leading providers of coding programs for school-aged children, says the rebate allows
kids the opportunity to explore the digital world at a reduced out-of-pocket cost.
“The fact that the NSW government is recognising the importance of kids learning to code, is really encouraging.”
Coding marries technology and the creative arts but is unique because it enables children to develop critical thinking while enhancing their understanding
“We know that 80% of jobs in the future will be tech-related so it is important that we are getting our kids interested in coding from an early age on, regardless of gender.” says Markham.
The announcement spotlights the shifting nature of the workforce. The World Economic Forum asserts that up to 65% of primary-aged kids will be doing a job that doesn’t yet exist by the time the time they enter the workforce. The future is littered with uncertainty but digital design skills are widely seen as vital.
Mother of two Deborah Quigley has praised the initiative. “My daughter has been on a Code Camp before and absolutely loved it. Now with the rebate available in January, I’ll use it towards her next Code Camp in the summer school holidays. My daughter will do the next level where she’ll learn javascript.
“It’s great we get the rebate to put towards the learning that she is really interested in.”
Parents can apply for the $100 voucher, which can be utilised to cover the cost of registration and tuition fees, at the NSW Service Website or at any Service Centre kiosks. For more information head along to www.codecamp.com.au.