One of the reasons we do what we do at Hatch is to keep coding relevant for our students. Here are some interesting Canadian facts and figures which will help clarify why there needs to be change in how coding is taught.

Relevant Skills for the Future.

75 percent of new jobs between 2009 and 2018 in Canada will be in the STEM fields. (2)

Among young graduates, those from engineering and computer and information sciences were the most likely to work in their field, with 7 in 10 working in science and technology occupations. (1)

Students Dropping Out

The evidence is in that young people are still disengaging too early from STEM disciplines and too many are closing doors to the future. (2)

Less than half of teens are completing science courses through to grade 12. (3)

Even once they graduate and go to University, in BC and Quebec, for computer science, the odds of completing a degree "can be the same as flipping a coin, and rise no higher than 68 percent on average."(4)

Women Underrepresented

STEM education helps to bridge the ethnic and gender gaps sometimes found in math and science fields. (3)

Men were more likely to study engineering or computer and information sciences than women: over 5 in 20 young men with a bachelor's degree graduated from these fields of study, compared with under 1 in 20 young women with a bachelor's degree. (2)

At top companies such as Apple, Microsoft, Intel and Google, less than 20% in technology jobs are women. (5)

Parents Have a Powerful Impact

76 percent of student respondents said that parents have the greatest influence on their educational direction, followed by teachers at 24 percent. (8)

(1)  https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/171129/dq171129a-eng.htm

(2) http://letstalkscience.ca/

(3) https://www.parentscanada.com/school/why-stem-education-matters-and-what-parents-can-do

(4) https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/education/can-big-data-analysis-stop-students-from-dropping-out-of-university/article31939870/

(5) http://graphics.wsj.com/diversity-in-tech-companies/

(6) https://canada2067.ca/en/articles/help-shape-the-future-of-stem-education-in-canada/