How The Code Zone is Bridging The Digital Skills Gap!

If you checked out our socials last week, you may have noticed that here at The Code Zone we were celebrating some really, REALLY exciting news; it was announced that we are the global winners of Xero’s Beautiful Business Fund in the Upskilling For The Future category! We couldn’t be more chuffed about this award as it means that the hard work of our mentors is being recognised, and we can’t wait to bring our clubs to even more aspiring coders.

In light of winning the award, we want to tell you all about why we think upskilling for the future is so important, and the work that we’re doing to bridge the digital skills gap in the UK!

What do you mean by ‘digital skills gap’?

According to The Prince’s Trust, over a third of young people in the UK drop all digital and tech subjects after they leave Key Stage Three! According to the research, this isn’t always because of a lack of interest but because the subjects aren’t being offered or encouraged. The young people surveyed also expressed a lack of understanding about the types of digital skills that may be required in their future careers. When young people struggle to access education in this area, it can lead to them lacking confidence and struggling to apply for jobs that require these skills. 

In a report published in April 2024, the UK government identified that the digital skills gap is estimated to cost our economy £63 billion per year! This means that businesses are struggling to find workers with the skills that they need, and at the same time young people are struggling to access the training they need to acquire these skills.

Where does The Code Zone fit in?

At The Code Zone, we are passionate about making learning to code fun and accessible for everyone! Members of our clubs are constantly exposed to new coding skills and have the freedom to come up with their own game mechanics - if they need help making their ideas a reality they can ask one of our amazing STEM-Certified mentors who are always looking for new ways to impart more coding knowledge. 

Members of our clubs also regularly practice other computer skills beyond coding. For instance,  iPads and other tablets are really common which means that a lot of our youngest coders are most comfortable using touch screens. One of the very first things young coders learn when they join us is how to use a mouse and ‘click and drag’ which are really important skills no matter what career path you follow.

Our online clubs can be accessed from absolutely anywhere, and we also run fun events such as our Game Jams throughout the year which are FREE for all to take part in! Plus, before signing up to our paid clubs you can join us for a free taster session where your child can meet one of our mentors one-on-one before experiencing one of our clubs so you can decide if we’re the right fit for you. 

All of this is to say, we’re really passionate about bridging the digital skills gap and providing a fun way for children to get excited about using technology in their futures. As we learned from the research, young people want to learn how to code but aren’t always given the opportunities to do so - this is where we come in! 

If you want to find out more, you can request a FREE taster session to try out one of our clubs for yourself. We’ll see you there!

Until next time,

Happy coding!