One of the key aspects to making technology more accessible for everyone is providing the resources and learnings for others to expand their technology knowledge. This could be through module based learning, community projects, innovative apps for home learning and so much more. Our Education Award champions businesses and individuals who are creating the resources with an overall aim to educate and broaden knowledge within the tech space. As the Tech4Good awards open for nominations, we wanted to highlight some past winners of the award.

One of our previous winners is Generation Code, a UK Youth and Microsoft partnership for Code Champions. Generation Code is a programme which allows young people to get creative, develop their computational thinking and coding skills to become better equipped to take advantage of the opportunities in a world that is becoming digital-by-default. Generation Code addresses the lack of skills in computer science in young people, empowering them to become digital creators in an ever-changing global society.

In partnership with Microsoft and UK Youth, Generation Code provides coding opportunities to young people aged 11-19 years old, the national programme trains Code Champions aged 16-25 years old with no coding experience to take the lead on delivering regular coding activities to young people in their area, sparking an interest in code through themed activities that are relevant to their interests, whether that be fashion, sport or space.

Girl standing in front of a Generation Code banner

Another previous winner is Code Club, which are after-school clubs for 9-11 years in the UK teaching children the art of computer programming.  Computer programming is becoming an essential skill and Code Club offers 9 to 11 year olds the chance to Code Club HQ provides a full set of learning materials and recruits volunteers to deliver them through after school clubs. Volunteers go to their local primary school for an hour a week and teach one project a week.

The projects teach children how to program by showing them how to make computer games, animations and websites, built around a free open source programme called Scratch. The focus is on creative, fun activities that help develop core programming skills, as well as offering courses outside schools, the Code Club model is going global with Code Club World, with over 1,900 clubs on every continent except Antarctica.

To enter the award, please visit here. This Award is open to any individual, business, charity, social enterprise or other public body with a presence in the UK. It may refer to the work you do as a whole or one specific educational project, you can nominate your own organisation or a project you admire.