National and secondary schools throughout Galway will take part in Tech Week, Ireland’s national festival of technology, next month between April 22 and 28. Ireland’s national festival of technology is aimed at sparking an interest in technology and related study and careers among students, parents and the public. This exciting week of events will see more than 100,000 students take part in a range of fun activities, including the finals of several national Tech Week events. School students will be challenged on their computational thinking skills at the National Bebras final in NUI Maynooth on Saturday, April 21, and coding projects will be showcased by school children in the Scratch Programming Final in UL on Wednesday, April 25. Speaking at the launch of Tech Week 2018, Minister of State for Training, Skills and Innovation, John Halligan said: “The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation is delighted to support Tech Week through Science Foundation Ireland’s Discover Programme. All young people love science and finding out how things work. Tech Week is aimed at stimulating children’s natural curiosity and encouraging them to explore, discover and develop their critical thinking and problem-solving skills. "It provides hands-on opportunities for young people to learn about how computing and related technologies are shaping every area of life. With the European Commission estimating that 90 per cent of tomorrow's jobs will require digital skills; we need to ensure that Ireland is at the forefront of this transformation. We must be a leader in developing and nurturing STEM talent.”
Margie McCarthy of Science Foundation Ireland, said: “Science Foundation Ireland is delighted to support Tech Week once again. The events held nationwide throughout the week are aimed at inspiring our future STEM leaders, and giving Ireland’s young people an opportunity to explore technology and coding in a fun environment.
"Tech Week will empower people taking part to become actively involved in STEM. For this reason, we are proud to fund the initiative through the SFI Discover Programme, and look forward to another week of interactive and stimulating events.” For more information visit www.techweek.ie
