Initiative aims to boost digital skills, particularly among girls, and develop a diverse talent pool of future innovators
YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP S.p.A (MTA: YNAP) has partnered with Imperial College London to boost digital skills among young children, particularly girls.
The project – ‘Imperial CodeLab powered by YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP’ (CodeLab) aims to introduce children to computer science, including teaching the basics of coding, with a particular focus on the West London community.
Targeted at children between the ages of 8 and 14, with a focus on girls, CodeLab aims to tackle the lack of diversity and gender equality within the technology industry.
As well as its focus on improving opportunities for girls, the programme is open to pupils from other under-represented groups in the area.
Classes will take place at YNAP’s state-of-the-art Tech Hub in White City – which is fast becoming a burgeoning centre for technology and creativity – and Imperial College London – one of the world’s leading universities.
Children will be taught JavaScript to build their own games and apps, developing their aptitude and ability to solve problems in a creative environment.
Over 700 children will have the opportunity to attend the free weekly classes taught by students from Imperial’s Department of Computing who will be remunerated for their teaching time, using a curriculum that has been carefully designed alongside YNAP developers.
We are proud to join forces with Imperial College London for Codelab and play our part in promoting digital literacy. With CodeLab, we want to inspire young children, and especially girls, to develop their digital skills, helping to create the next generation of future innovators.
Alex Alexander, Chief Information Officer, YOOX NET-A-PORTER GROUP
We live in the digital age, where technology is crucial to our day-to-day lives. If we are to make sure that technology works for everyone, we need a diverse talent pool of coders and computer scientists.
Susan Eisenbach, Professor of Computing, Imperial College London
