Google's charitable arm launches Code with Google

Google.org, the charitable outreach arm of Alphabet's search and software-as-a-service (SaaS) subsidiary, has announced the launch of Code with Google, an all-in-one platform for the company's educational programming resources.

Educational computing around the world has long been castigated for failing to deliver on the needs of both its students and the workplace - back in November 2017 the Royal Society called for a tenfold increase in funding for computing education under the threat that 'an entire generation may never unlock the full potential of new technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence and machine learning,' despite efforts at improving things in the wake of Michael Gove's scathing keynote speech at BETT 2012. Tech companies, who unsurprisingly rely on skilled students migrating into the workforce from education, have been attempting to address the issue, and now Google is attempting to make it easier for teachers to bring programming into the classroom.

'67 percent of teachers believe CS [computer science] is just as important as other subjects, but many schools don’t offer computer science courses that include programming - and the ones that do are in well-resourced school districts,' explains Google.org's vice president for education and university relations Maggie Johnson in a blog post outlining the company's newly-launched educational platform. 'We believe that training, resources, and community for teachers are key to improving equity in CS education and expanding access for all students.

'Code with Google is our new CS comprehensive resource for educators. It brings together Google’s free curriculum and programs that build coding skills—from beginner level to advanced—to help students succeed. Teachers can integrate CS First into their classroom, guide their high school students to the free code learning app Grasshopper to learn Javascript, or share CS scholarship opportunities with students.'

While Code with Google is available globally, the company has also announced a $1 million (around £800,000) grant for the Computer Science Teachers Association (CSTA) to support its efforts at support computer science teachers across the US. Code with Google, meanwhile, is available now on the official website.