Originally established by the American Library Association and Young Adult Library Services Association in 2007, this week-long initiative aims to provide teens and young adults with access to tech, like library computers, as well as guidance on how to use resources like e-readers and audiobooks. As it’s evolved, this scheme now also supports young people in using social media in a healthy way, and provides guidance around studying, using digital media for schoolwork, and staying safe online.
As more young people turn to tech for both their social lives and education, we’re excited to be offering coding courses as an alternative to university and more traditional further education options. In fact, a huge range of our students are at university-age, and our courses are popular with older teenagers and people in their early 20s*. Learning to code launches you into a tech career – and will get you earning an average of 44% more in your salary. Coding courses don’t come with the level of debt and time commitments that university courses often do – meaning they’re a great way for young people to kickstart their careers and progress at pace! With the digital skills gap widening and more and more vacancies in the tech industry appearing, coding skills and tech familiarity are so beneficial to have. The clients we work with through our tech recruitment partners, Opus Talent Solutions, are always looking for people with in-demand coding skills, as well as the ‘soft skills’ we teach at _nology, like creativity, problem-solving, and collaboration.
Teen Tech Week has always been a hugely important programme because of the accessibility it offers to people from all backgrounds, educations, and life experiences. Despite the prevalence of modern tech, a lot of young people still don’t have access to things like laptops or tablets in their homes or schools, and it’s important that they do not fall behind with their education or personal development due to societal inequalities.
Honouring the accessibility that Teen Tech Week provides people from all backgrounds, nology’s core mission is to promote social mobility and improve diversity at every level within the tech industry and beyond. Connecting people with opportunities is what we do – regardless of their background. In fact, we’re so committed to this initiative, we ensure 10% of our intake is reserved for people from underprivileged and underrepresented backgrounds – and we cover the cost of their training. This not only fills the gap in technology, but fills it with diverse talent and opens doors to a future that may not have been possible otherwise. We’re proud to be paving the way for a more diverse, vibrant, and equal tech talent pool – want to join us?
*It’s important to note that our courses are open to people of all backgrounds, educations, races, genders, sexualities, and ages (not just teens and young adults) – in fact, someone in their 50s recently graduated from their _nology training and is now pursuing their dream career in tech!