Accenture employees across 56 countries have pledged to complete more than 10,000 Hours of Code and lead coding tutorial sessions around the world during Computer Science Education Week, Dec. 4-10, as part of the company’s commitment to helping students build computer and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills.
Hour of Code was launched in 2013 by Code.org, a nonprofit dedicated to expanding access to computer science and increasing participation by women and underrepresented minorities. The program is a one-hour introduction to coding and computer science. For the third straight year, Accenture is teaming with Code.org on Hour of Code and other STEM-related educational initiatives. This year, Accenture Technology created a coding tutorial that gives students a better understanding of artificial intelligence (AI). Students will discover how AI techniques can teach a robot to explore a new planet – including recognizing animals and plants, understanding a new language and conversing with inhabitants.
As part of this year’s collaboration, Accenture executives will lead Hour of Code activities around the world. Among the executives participating are Christy Sovereign, senior managing director of the company’s Minneapolis office, who will be participating in a special event with Robbinsdale Cooper High School student athletes to learn about the future of technology and sports, including a special session on how to build and fly a drone.
“Technology is creating jobs that didn’t even exist five years ago, and learning to code can transform the trajectory of a student’s life and career,” comments Paul Daugherty, Accenture’s chief technology and innovation officer and chief coder. “As part of our commitment to working with Code.org to prepare young people for the digital economy, Accenture employees last year dedicated more than 10,000 hours to Hour of Code, inspiring more than 100,000 students around the world to learn basic coding skills. We’ve seen the impact that Code.org is having on students, and this year we’re doing more to support that – more hours and more classroom sessions to spark an interest in working with the technologies of tomorrow.”
