For the last few weeks, the LearnToMod team has been helping a devoted group of coding education champions prepare for JHack: a Junior Hackathon in Auckland where 120 high school students will put their coding skills to the test on Saturday, July 4th.
JHack aims to encourage New Zealand school kids to think about a career in digital industry, the country’s third biggest export market. Edwina Mistry, one of JHack organisers and Industry and Community Engagement Manager at MIT’s Faculty of Business and IT, says the competition will give students a head start in coding. “There’s a huge skills shortage in the IT industry. This is an opportunity to give the next generation some experience in coding, mentored by knowledgeable industry experts.”
The students will be working in teams of three; they have been mentored by 29 industry experts using LearnToMod.
Daniel Martushev, a member of the JHack Organising committee and Master Technologist at HP New Zealand said, “as an IT professional I have attended hackathons and seen first-hand the surprising and innovative ideas communities develop over the span of a weekend (e.g., the HackAKL 2014 event held in Auckland.) At the same time, there is an opportunity to extend these events and find a way to involve kids in a fun format while showing how they can play a role in New Zealand’s digital future.”
The industry mentors represent tech-savvy NZ companies, including Xero, Air New Zealand, Vodafone, Deloitte, Ernest and Young, HP, BNZ, Orion Health, Attract HQ, Tenzing, and Cognitel.
Over 150 students have been preparing for the JHack event all June! Along with their industry mentors and organisers, they have put in a lot of time, energy, and passion! Here’s just a snapshot of their progress so far:
14,595 LearnToMod badges earned by participants
145,950 minutes have been logged by participants earning badges
1008 hours logged by volunteers who organized the event and mentored students
The LearnToMod team wants to congratulate all the JHack organizers, volunteers, mentors, and students for their dedication and passion! Thank you for providing an amazing model for how others can affect change and make a difference in the lives of their local students! Check out the JHack website for more information on the upcoming event: http://jhack.co.nz/.