Manchester’s The Factory Youth Zone in Harpurhey has been chosen to be the second Hub in the UK following the first Hub’s opening in London at the Dragon Hall community centre in Camden earlier this year. It will be equipped with Samsung laptops to run weekly coding sessions with young people and also host four training sessions a year to train Code Club volunteers.
Laura Kirsop, Managing Director of Code Club said: “The Hubs are all situated in areas with high levels of deprivation. Samsung and Code Club are both passionate about giving young people from all backgrounds the chance to learn programming skills. We’re now living in a digital age where coding is useful in many hobbies and careers so it’s essential that access to programs like Code Club is fair. We’re delighted that the second Hub is opening in Manchester as support in the city has been fantastic.”
In 2013, Manchester City Council announced its 2015 target of having Code Clubs in 25% of all primary schools in the area. This has gained broad support from local organisations, such as Manchester Digital and Manchester Metropolitan University. The Factory Youth Zone acting as a Hub for training volunteers will drive the city closer towards achieving this aim.
Andy Griffiths, President of Samsung Electronics UK & Ireland said: “Coding is a vital skill for young people who want to pursue a career in technology and today we are excited to support the opening of our second Code Club Hub, which will be at Manchester’s The Factory Youth Zone. We are extremely proud to be in partnership with Code Club, a collaboration that forms part of our wider citizenship programme, which aims to bridge the digital divide and skills gap for young people in the UK.”
