We know it has been a while but the time has come to try and bring some normality to life. So that includes providing an opportunity for youngsters to learn to code.
So Saturday 16th October Cornwall Tech Jam and Software Cornwall will be back at a new venue. The Fibrehub building in Pool. For those of you who have been to the old Opie Building at Cornwall College you will know the outside well. But the inside has seen dramatic changes over the last year. A new suite of offices, conference rooms, 4k theatre and a café are inviting new tech companies to the area. What better place to encourage youngsters to see what their futures could be like.
The pandemic highlighted the digital divide with those who have access to online learning and suitable equipment and those who do not. The Cornwall Tech Jam has been providing that access to equipment, even though it’s only once a month, since 2014. Any child can come along and spend some time using some really cool tech. Parents can learn about it too and find out what it’s all about. It is all provided for free by volunteers spending their Saturdays showing youngsters the way round a Raspberry Pi, electronic circuits, robots, Microbits and more.
This all sounds lovely and a sweet thing to do for the children of Cornwall. But there is a really good reason for doing this. The youngsters are the future developers for the companies coming to Cornwall. Spaceport Cornwall will be launching satellites into space next June from Cornwall. Already companies are moving into the Newquay Airport Centre for Space Technologies and hiring software developers. And the rocket launches haven’t even started yet. That’s just one software sector.
Changing perceptions about careers in Cornwall from within the family is really important. Parents and carers, along with teachers, are the guardians to information and career possibilities. Highlighting to them the local tech industry face to face and meeting those within it is the best way to change their perceptions. Cornwall has a high tech side to it that just isn’t that visible. If the fun we provide at a Cornwall Tech Jam offers a real progression into a future career then students are more likely to think about it. And even more so if their parents say it’s a good idea too.
Tickets
Just to be sure that we have a controlled number of children coming along, for the moment the Cornwall Tech Jam will be ticketed. It’s still free but there will be limited places. We are asking that only children who are participating and an adult enter the premises. And of course if you are feeling unwell, please don’t attend.
Tickets are available from Eventbrite. Just search for Cornwall Tech Jam or click the button below.