Since its launch in 2017, 50% of Scottish primary schools have already signed up to the Barefoot Computing Project, an initiative to boost tech literacy in the classroom. More than 1,000 Scottish schools and 3,300 teachers have registered to use the project’s online resources.

Barefoot delivers free workshops and resources for teachers (and even includes Gaelic content). The project now has its sights firmly set on reaching the other 50% of Scotland’s primary schools, hopefully before the end of 2018. Working with teachers, Barefoot helps them to develop the confidence, knowledge and skills they need to teach computer science.

In the space of a year, volunteers have delivered 210 free workshops to 3,000 teachers across Scotland, reaching around 82,000 Scottish school children.

Tech Literacy in Scotland

The Barefoot Computing Project is supported by Education Scotland and is led by BT in Scotland in partnership with the BCS. The project forms part of the company’s long-term commitment to help build a culture of tech literacy in the UK and intends to reach five million young people by 2020.

Nurturing the Next Generation

Basic computer knowledge is now essential for most jobs, while tech and IT knowledge is even more sought after by employers. By teaching children about IT, tech and computer science it will help to prepare them with an increasingly valuable skill set for entering the job market.

Digital technology is one of Scotland’s fastest-growing sectors, estimated to create 12,800 job opportunities annually. This flourishing area underlies the importance of digital skills to Scotland’s continued economic growth.

Digital Revolution

The Scottish government has said it believes that Scotland is on the cusp of a digital revolution which will transform its economy. The government has also committed itself to cementing Scotland’s position as a world-class digital nation by 2020.

Alan Armstrong, strategic director at Education Scotland, said “It is estimated that around 90% of jobs across the UK require an element of digital skills. As time goes on and technology becomes more prevalent, that figure is likely to increase.”

Brendan Dick, director of BT Scotland, said “Computational thinking provides the building blocks of the digital world – like logic, abstraction and algorithms. In an era shaped by tech, these are the core abilities children need. We want to make tech literacy as important as reading and writing from the start.”

Getting involved with the Barefoot programme is easy and free. Teachers just need to visit the website to register.