Cornwall’s tech community is growing and with it comes opportunities. We’re quite lucky that the county is now awash with tech companies and a community that doesn’t just want to build relationships but also create opportunities for new talent. And, if you’re on this page, that means you.
One of the big things happening this year is the Digital Academy programme that Software Cornwall is launching with Cornwall College. We’ll be giving you the opportunity to to get the skills you need for a tech career. There’ll be more information at our next Tech Connect event on 20 September, so if you’d like to learn more about our Digital Academy, save the date!
On 8th September, we have our monthly Tech Jam at Bodmin Library. It’s happening between 10am and 1pm, these are sessions run by volunteers working in IT and education across Cornwall. It’s a great way to introduce yourself to coding or just spend your day just playing games the whole time – in the name of computer science. People of all ages and abilities attend our Tech Jams, and if you’ve got something you’ve been working on, take it in to share.
If you’re a budding software developer (14+), you might want to join our Mission to Mars this October in Liskeard. This is where we introduce you to Ada and Alan – our Mars rovers. It will be your job to code the robots and allow them to explore the terrain on the Red Planet. This five day event is a great way to meet industry employers and leaders to get a head start. Find out more here: https://www.softwarecornwall.org/mission-mars-october-2018/
We also have Mission to Mars: Bytesize – these are two day affairs doing similar tasks as the main event. The next Bytesize starts very soon on August 29, find out more here: https://www.softwarecornwall.org/mission-to-mars-bytesize-announced/
If you’re thinking more about a formal qualification, Cornwall College have a 2 year, full-time foundation course in Software Development. It’s hands-on and you’ll get real work-experience with software companies and work on both actual and simulated projects as part of a team. More here: https://www.cornwall.ac.uk/cornwallcollege/digital-academy/software-development-technical-baccalaureate
For something simpler and less time-consuming; Falmouth University are offering short introductory courses learning how to create web pages from scratch. It’s quite a simple introduction helping beginners set up a basic website and manage it using HTML and CSS. It can be done over 6 half days or 3 full days. Email [email protected] or call 01326 253 688
Of course, you could learn code online in the comfort of your own home – and for free. Codecademy (https://www.codecademy.com/) is one way to do this. The courses last less than 11 hours and each subject teaches you a new skill; by the end you would have written your own computer programme. There are lots of others and Bento (https://bento.io/) has curated around 200 free courses with all the coding languages you can think of!
Already a coder? Why not help us to help others learn to code by becoming a mentor with Software Cornwall? We feel it’s extremely important to get young people excited about technology and computing and we run regular jams, missions, visits and more where extra help is always welcome. And, if you think about custard rather than code when we talk about Raspberry Pis that’s ok, we welcome non-tech help too! Find out more about volunteering and mentoring at https://www.softwarecornwall.org/upcoming-mentoring-opportunities/
If you want to help you local school right on your doorstep, you could support Code Clubs in Cornwall. If you’ve got a spare hour during term-time, get involved in these free weekly workshops run by volunteers for children aged 9-13. Code Club need around 400 volunteers right now, if you could be one of them, email here: [email protected] You can also use this email if you’re a young person, looking for a Code Club to join.
If you’re interested in the other Jams and Clubs hosted by Software Cornwall, then have a look here https://www.softwarecornwall.org/social-coding-events/ and see you very soon.