We know a strong homegrown technology sector will mean more wealth and jobs for Australia. With the ability to add half a million new jobs and an additional hundred billion dollars to the economy each year, helping Australia create an innovation generation should be a priority.
But as highlighted in our recent report on The Startup Economy, even though computer science degrees are central to building a strong future tech sector, only 2% of domestic graduates have a CS qualification.
At Google, we’re committed to helping Australia build an innovation generation and today we are announcing the funding of 13 universities in Australia and three in New Zealand to provide training to high school computer science teachers.
Computer Science for High School (CS4HS) is a program that gives high school teachers the opportunity to learn from academics and professionals in the industry. In collaboration with universities, we’re able to provide hands-on workshops that allow teachers to learn best practices in computer science education.
This year, we hope to reach 1,000 teachers across Australia and New Zealand. Our hope is that these educators will then be able to return to the classroom and help create the next generation of computer scientists, creators and entrepreneurs.
The following universities have been awarded a CS4HS grant.
Australia
New Zealand
Sally-Ann Williams, Engineering Community and Outreach Manager, Google Australia
