Vodafone Foundation has launched a competition for secondary school students that will improve their understanding of technology and how it can be used to help the communities in which they live.
The Digital Creators’ Challenge, which is open to 11–14-year-olds, asks pupils to design an app to improve lives in their local community, with the chance to win up to £6,000 to spend on IT equipment.
The competition has been created with Teach First, Hopscotch and Apps for Good. It opened in September and closes in January 2020.
In March 2020, shortlisted finalists will be invited to Vodafone’s Technology Hub in Newbury, where they will get to see how a leading technology company works and showcase their final entries to a panel of experts.
Technology advice and practical training will be provided by Vodafone and Apps for Good experts, alongside access to online materials including workbooks and toolkits.
Helen Lamprell, trustee of the Vodafone Foundation and general counsel and external affairs director for Vodafone UK, said: “A recent report found only 2.7% of students chose computing or computer science qualifications at A-level in the UK. This suggests a digital skills gap in the younger generation – the future workforce for our digital age.
“Research also shows that girls are under-represented in this area. The Digital Creators’ Challenge aims to close this gap, by building students’ digital skills – raising awareness of the digital careers available at Vodafone and the wider industry, and increasing diversity across technology.”
Previous workshops hosted by Apps for Good have shown that after taking part, 53% of students were more interested in specialising in computing and IT during school and further studies, and half of students were more interested in working in the technology sector in the future.
To register your school, visit https://careers.vodafone.co.uk/the-digital-creators-challenge
