Barayamal partners with CoderDojo to launch coding clubs focused on Indigenous Australians

Indigenous-focused accelerator program Barayamal has partnered with global kids coding initiative CoderDojo to launch CoderDojo First Nations, a network of coding clubs aimed at Indigenous Australians.

First Nations will leverage CoderDojo’s resources of volunteer-led community programming clubs, which cater to young people from ages seven to seventeen, to provide educational sessions that teach participants how to code, build a website, and create an app or game.

Dean Foley, Barayamal’s founder, said the program will aim to bridge the digital skills gap for Indigenous Australians, providing students with the skills required to tackle the growing digital economy.

“It is extremely important to have programs specifically for Indigenous youth because jobs are changing in the economy and becoming more digital and tech-skilled orientated, and we do not want this disparity gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians to continue rising,” he said.

Australia’s digital economy is projected to be worth $139 billion a year by 2020, but its growth is inhibited by a skills shortage, according to the most recent study from Deloitte Access Economics and The Australian Computer Society.

Meanwhile, the government’s latest employment study pins Indigenous employment in Australia at a low 48 percent. Read more31

James Ward - Startup Daily - 25 Aug 2017