Canada, Government-level Micro:bit Coding Education and Funding

Element 14 is supplying 100,000 Micro:bits to KidsCode Jeunesse to support Canada's CanCode initiative. The Micro:bits will be used by children and youth across Canada through an agreement with KidsCode Jeunesse, which supports children and young adults in acquiring digital skills.

“Element14 is committed to coding education for children and is laying the groundwork for the next generation of engineers,” said President Dun Hill. “Our partnership with KidsCode Jeunesse will be of great help to the Canadian government in achieving success in important initiatives.”

Jonathan Smith, the company's Director of Education, stated, "By helping children actually utilize computers, they can design devices for real-life use and acquire important skills." He added, "Moving forward, physical computing education using Micro:bit, including coding, will be important, and the Micro:bit Educational Foundation and we are focused on providing Micro:bit to as many children as possible."

Meanwhile, Canada's Minister of Culture Melanie Jolie and Parliamentary Undersecretary for Innovation, Science and Economic Development David Lameti announced the government's plan for provincial funding under the CanCode program last week. CanCode is a program that funds young Canadians to acquire digital skills, including coding, to prepare them for future careers. In this program, Micro:bit is utilized not only in classes but also in various places such as libraries and science labs.

Element 14 has supplied Micro:bit to national and local education programs in countries such as the UK, Iceland, Singapore, and Croatia.