Apple To Host Free Coding Workshops For "Hour Of Code"

Apple is hosting a series of free coding workshops around the world as part of the Hour of Code campaign.

The campaign is being organised by the not-for-profit Code.org, which has the aim of making computer science more accessible, particularly amongst children.

Read more: UK GCSE results: IT gender gap leaves ‘serious concerns’

The workshops will last an hour and are scheduled to take place across Apple’s 446 retail stores on 11 December. The scheme is targeted at children, but adults of all ages can register for a place through Apple’s website. Some of the company’s flagship stores, including those in New York, Berlin and Tokyo, will be holding additional talks from software developers and engineers between 8 December and 12 December as part of Computer Science Education Week.

In fact, it’s not just Apple doing its bit to educate kids about the importance of coding. More than 65,000 Hour of Code events will be taking place next week across schools, libraries and coding clubs. Microsoft, Disney and Best Buy are also holding events of their own, while Google, Target and several other firms are encouraging employees to take part in Hour of Code training programmes.

Hadi Partovi, the co-founder of Code.org, explained that the scheme could open up a world of possibilities for future developers.

“The Hour of Code, we hope, will continue to spark a creative fire that students might otherwise never discover,” he said in a statement earlier this week.

With software becoming increasingly important at work and in everyday life, there has been renewed focus on encouraging children to learn coding.

Read more: BBC aims to foster coding in kids with new TV show

The UK government recently introduced the Computing GCSE course into secondary schools, but the uptake has so far been limited, particularly amongst girls.