by: Brett Mills
Posted:
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A local group is giving some Franklin County students a chance to learn about computer science with a free four-month program.
Tech Corps is allowing ninth- and tenth-grade students to increase their computer knowledge, and instructor Olivia Shade believes the program acts as a tool for students to learn, grow, and hopefully start a career in the tech industry.
She said the students walk away with more than just knowledge.
“Students get the opportunity to learn different skills that they can use later on in life,” Shade said. “Some of those skills they might not be able to learn in high school, whether they have computer science or not. Like, if they don’t have computer science, they might not have the opportunity to learn.”
The non-profit Tech Corps is preparing for its annual computing career corps program. The program teaches Franklin County high school students coding, software development and all things computer science. The courses are one evening a week and the students will also get paid for what they learn.
“The program is 100% free to the students in Franklin County,” Shade said. “As an incentive at the very end of the program, once they complete it, they have the opportunity of choosing between $400 or getting a free laptop.”
The group wants this course to be a vehicle for opportunities in the tech industry, opening the eyes of these students to a career they might not have thought was possible. The group notes it has seen how impactful the program can be and hopes that it continues.
“I will say that they really like computer science, so I know some of them come in and they don’t want to be there,” Shade said. “They rather be doing something else, like hanging out with their friends after school, playing video games. So just hearing from some of them who come to the program that they really do like what they’re doing, and they want to continuously learn.”
The program starts Jan. 27 and runs through May 8. For more information, call 614-583-9211 or email info@techcorps.org.