Indigenous children in Nova Scotia are set to learn coding and other digital skills through a federal program that aims to encourage careers in science, technology, engineering and math.
Federal cabinet minister Scott Brison announced $1 million for the Ulnooweg Development Group, a Truro, N.S.,-based organization that will teach 8,700 Mi’kmaq students coding, robotics, bid data, 3D modelling and animation.
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Chris Googoo, chief operating officer of Ulnooweg, says First Nations schools in the province are underfunded and the investment will help support the digital education of Indigenous students.
He says he hopes the program will “open up doors” for Mi’kmaq students interested in careers in technology fields around the world.
The funding is part of CanCode, federal program that will invest $50 million over two years to help Canadian students improve their digital skills.
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Brison calls the funding a “foundational” investment in Indigenous children and youth that will give them the education to compete and succeed in the digital economy.
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