It used to be back in the day, maybe 20-25 years ago that learning about computers and doing stuff on the computer was deemed to be nerdy and wasn’t really viewed as a vital skill we needed to know. Fast forward to today, everything is about technology, and many have since come forward in support of learning about computers.
Even President Obama thinks that programming should be required in high schools. That being said, it seems that Microsoft feels the same way, so much so that the Redmond company has recently announced that they will be investing a whopping $75 million towards providing computer science education for kids.
This investment will be part of Microsoft’s YouthSpark initiative that was launched back in 2012. For those unfamiliar, YouthSpark is Microsoft’s initiative that also promotes computer science education. In a statement to The Register, a Microsoft spokeswoman said that the aim here is “to increase access to computer science education for all youth, especially for those from under-represented backgrounds.”
According to Microsoft, the plan is to spread out the money over a three year period towards select programs. This includes Technology Education and Literacy in Schools program. This is where those working in the tech industry will partner up with high schools in which they will then share their experience and knowledge of computer science with students.