Starting to Code Young: Channel 8 News Feature

Thank you Channel 8 News for the 2 June news feature! Did you catch us? If you haven’t, here’s a clip of the news feature.

At Coding Lab, we are proud to be at the forefront of nurturing the future generation of digital creators and leaders.

Scroll down to read what went on in the interview.

With increasing interest in application development and the like, Singaporeans are now flocking towards coding enrichment centres and learning to code at an early age.

1 Dylan and Educator

Dylan in the midst of a Python lesson

At just the age of 12, Dylan is already adept with professional coding language Python to program simple math games. “We want Dylan well-equipped with the appropriate skill sets to succeed in life. Programming and IT appears to be an area of growth and career opportunity for the future,” said the student’s mother.

3 Dylan and mother

Most careers are associated with programming

Dylan and his parents are not alone in anticipation of an imminent Smart Nation. The fascination with technology continues, with an increased spotlight on coding, application development, and the like. Not only are children picking up coding at progressively younger ages, universities are also expanding admissions quota for relevant IT courses.

2 Game

A simple mathematical game coded by Dylan

Cue Coding Lab, one of the pioneer coding educational centres since 2013. In just 2 years, student subscription at the centre has increased five times. There, kids as young as 4 start acquainting themselves with coding, or computational thinking in a fun and novel manner. One of their many ways to bridge coding with hands-on play include building a digital piano program, which encompasses electric circuits, music and computational thinking.

4 News Reporter

Student intake has increased 5 times within just 2 years

Said educator Ms Liu, “More and more parents are realising the importance of coding. It’s not just about teaching kids to code, but also about training their computational thinking and problem solving skills.”

5 Yilin

More parents are starting to realise the importance of coding today

That way, transitioning to more complex coding in the near future will be much easier.

Gearing up for a SmartNation: CGTN News Feature

Thank you CGTN for the news feature on the importance of coding in today’s world! Did you catch us? If you’ve missed it, no sweat! Read on for our summary of the video.

Recent years have seen a spike in efforts in digital technology and the building up of artificial intelligence. In response to the government’s urges for a SmartNation, schools, students and parents are moving towards computational learning in preparation for the future job market.

“Technology is transforming every sector of the economy, with students and parents responding to the emerging tech-driven future,” says Dean of NUS School of Computing Mohan Kankanhalli. In the past three years, there has been a surge in demand for computing-related courses at the undergraduate and graduate level at the National University of Singapore.

1 Dean NUS

“Everyone should learn to code, even if they don’t intend to work in the technical field in future,” exclaims 14-year-old Vayun, who has already mastered 6 different programming languages under his belt. The avid coder aspires to pursue a career in robotics or AI (Artificial Intelligence), and strongly believes in the value of code in today’s digitalized world. “Learning to program prepares your brain and helps you understand how to tackle complex algorithmic problems. Other than the realm of software, there are many situations in life where we would need problem solving skills.”

2 Student

Vayun is among thousands of Singaporean students picking up coding in order to keep up with the digital wave. In response to the surge in demand, private education centres have, too, multiplied in recent years, offering coding classes for children as young as 4 years old.

3 Candice

“Back in our corporate days, my co-founder and I both encountered automation in the office, but we realised a lot of people didn’t know how and were still doing tons of manual work,” Candice Wang, Coding Lab co-founder explains. “If they had been introduced to programming, say, even basic excel VBA when they were younger, their work would have been made easier.” And so came the birth of Coding Lab, one of the pioneers of the coding enrichment market.

4 Literacy

A business hub in the heart of Asia, Singapore is quickly attaining its goal of becoming an innovative centre with the technological shift, together as one.

Lunch with Minister Vivian Balakrishnan

balakrishnancropped

Last month, we were delighted to have lunch with Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and the team from Tiny Thinkers. We were very honoured to be praised for our efforts and expertise in bringing computational thinking to the masses, regardless of economic background. As firm believers in giving back, we are absolutely thrilled to have been recognised by Minister Balakrishnan for complementing Singapore’s pursuits of a SmartNation. Indeed, here at Coding Lab, we believe that computational thinking should be accessible to everyone, including very young children.  

Stay tuned for more exciting events as we work even harder with Smart Nation Singapore and Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) as we scale up for Tiny Thinkers part 2! Coming end 2019.