Communications of the ACM
Accenture Expands Hour of Code Tutorial to 15 Languages
For the fourth consecutive year, Accenture is teaming up with Code.org to support Hour of Code, a global educational movement that reaches over 100 million students through a one-hour introduction to computer science. This year, in conjunction with Computer Science Education Week (December 3-9), Accenture is expanding its coding tutorial across 15 languages—English, Chinese, Dutch, Filipino, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Slovak, Spanish, Swedish and Vietnamese—to bring coding to more students around the world through lessons in their native languages.
Nearly 2,500 Accenture employees have committed to teach an hour of code at local events in their communities, helping to inspire more than 100,000 students around the world to learn coding and computer science skills.
"As disruptive technologies advance and have a growing impact on society, a significant skills gap is also growing—so much so that already millions of jobs requiring STEM skills are unfilled worldwide," said Paul Daugherty, Accenture's chief technology & innovation officer and 'chief coder.' "It is critical that we equip today's students—tomorrow's workforce—with not just these skills, but also an understanding of how they can harness creativity and innovation to improve the way the world works and lives."
Accenture is building on the success of last year's launch of the Accenture Intelligent Space Exploration, a coding tutorial in which students discover how artificial intelligence techniques can be applied to teach a robot to explore a new planet—recognizing animals and plants, understanding a new language, and conversing with inhabitants. Approximately 110,000 individuals have participated in the tutorial since its debut.
"By learning to code, kids will grow up understanding how humans and technology work together—an important first lesson in preparing for the future," said Jill Huntley, global managing director for corporate citizenship at Accenture. "Hour of Code is a fantastic opportunity for Accenture volunteers to help to build New Skills Now all over the world."
Accenture's global commitment to provide more opportunities for students to learn to code supports the company's Skills to Succeed corporate citizenship initiative, which addresses urgent workforce needs around the world—including preparing the next generation with the skills to work in the digital economy.
As part of this year's Hour of Code collaboration, Accenture employees are developing and leading engaging activities around the world aimed at inspiring students in new ways. Among these activities include:
- Marty Rodgers, senior managing director and local office managing director for Accenture in Metro Washington, D.C., is joining Baltimore Mayor Catherine Pugh, Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Kevin Rutherford, and 60 community organizations to launch #thecitythatcodes — a year dedicated to STEM education in Baltimore. The program kicks off with an hour of code taught to adults, by elementary school students.
- In Texas, Accenture is hosting 200 students at Space Center Houston, taking students out of the classroom and showing them first-hand what a future in computer science can look like.
- In Mauritius, Accenture is organizing Hour of Code sessions for 100 students in its Tech Avenue Space, a first-of-its-kind training venue launched last year within the University of Mauritius. Students will also have the opportunity to engage in technology demonstrations, which demonstrate what pursuing a future in computer science can lead to.
- Accenture employees in India are turning Computer Science Education Week into a month-long program, with over 15 events planned throughout December.
"Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science—it provides a critical foundation for success in any 21st-century career path—not just in 'traditional' IT, but also creative vocations—everything from graphic design to theater production," said Hadi Partovi, co-founder and CEO of Code.org. "To-date, over 100 million students around the world have participated in Hour of Code. This is because organizations such as Accenture go above-and-beyond to advance our shared vision of equipping the youth of today with skills they'll need in the future."
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