Primary school aged girls will put on their game faces and level up their computer coding skills with a roaming classroom set to visit Adelaide for the first time as part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival.
Australian Science and Mathematics School is hosting Code Like A Girl’s roaming classroom where girls aged 6-12 will learn the basics of coding to create their own personalised computer games during two-hour workshops on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 March, 2019.
Up to 80 girls will learn the Scratch coding platform during the fun and highly-interactive workshops.
The roaming classroom been designed for maximum visual impact – a pink classroom filled with motivational posters, programmable lamps, neon signs, and colourful chairs, desks and lockers.
The workshops are being run with a view to increasing diversity in the technology industry and improving girls’ engagement with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
Australia currently needs nearly 100,000 workers to keep up with current demand in the IT industry, which the demand expected to increase to 750,000 workers by 2023.
Currently women make up less than one-quarter of the technical IT workforce and studies suggest fewer than 3% of school girls are considering a career in technology.
“The ASMS shares our commitment to growing the representation of girls and women in STEM,” said Ally Watson, CEO and co-founder of Code Like A Girl. “When we needed to choose a venue for our Fringe Festival workshops, the school was the perfect place.
“Gaming is big business, but playing is only half the fun. Coding platform Scratch is great for beginners but also holds its own against programs used by industry professionals.”
Jayne Heath, Principal of the Australian Science and Mathematics School, said the school and social enterprise shared the same values.
“We are pleased to be hosting a Fringe Festival event which supports our work to increase the number of girls studying STEM and improve their representation in associated workforces,” she said.
“Our school takes a hands-on approach to learning to prepare our Year 10-12 students with the skills necessary for jobs of the future, so it’s great to see this starting with primary school-aged girls.”
The two-hour workshops are being run at 10AM and 1PM on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 March, at Bedford Park-based Australian Science and Mathematics School.
Tickets are still available to purchase for $15 each from Adelaide Fringe
