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Eugene Digital Dojo to Help Build Local Software Labor Force; Open House Nov. 18(Targeted News Service Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) EUGENE, Ore., Oct. 21 -- Lane Community College issued the following news release: Area youth will be the beneficiaries of a partnership between Lane Community College, the City of Eugene, and Eugene School District 4J to develop a Digital Dojo--a nationally connected and locally developed open source computer coding club--at Lane Community College's Downtown Center. The Dojo will provide a host of computer science related educational opportunities and kick off with an open house on Tuesday, November 18, from 3:30-5:30 p.m. at the Lane Community College Downtown Center, 101 W 10th Ave., Eugene. The public is invited. Youth at any level of computer skill are invited to visit to try coding and see the resources the Dojo will have to offer. All attendees are required to pre-register at the website: http://www.meetup.com/Eugene-Region-CoderDojo-Hub (link is external) "The Digital Dojo is an investment in education for today's students, and economic development for employers, entrepreneurs and employees in the future," said Nan Laurence, Senior Planner, City of Eugene. "It will help us strengthen the creative and technical skills needed to build a highly qualified and flexible workforce in the expanding software employment cluster and retain and grow high tech businesses in our region." The Dojo creates a dynamic learning environment that brings at least a dozen computer industry employees into the classroom, employs computer science faculty, and focuses on middle and high school students to create an interest in the field early in their school career. Eugene-Springfield area youth are welcome; females and underrepresented youth are particularly encouraged to participate. "The Digital Dojo uses an innovative combination of structured education, work-based projects, and collaborative methods, all in Lane's Downtown Campus," says Lane Community College President Mary Spilde. "We anticipate seeing a thriving educational space that builds skills, knowledge, and confidence in the youth involved, leading them into the high-demand, high-wage occupations of the computer science industry. The community will benefit by keeping the employers in the region and the industry will benefit by having skilled employees." The Digital Dojo partnership brings together instructional specialists with expertise in computer science from LCC and 4J and a state of the art classroom in LCC's Downtown campus with $50,000 of telecommunications funds aimed at digital mentoring from the City of Eugene. Dojo sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30-5:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. beginning in December. The project can accommodate approximately 800 students over the course of the 2014-15 school year. Beginning in November youth will be able to sign up online for sessions in advance. For more information about Lane Community College-- * www.lanecc.edu/Newsroom * www.twitter.com/LaneNews (link is external) * www.facebook.com/LaneCommunityCollege (link is external) Lane is an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabilities Employer CC AutoTriage9as-141022-30FurigayJane-4908932 30FurigayJane (c) 2014 Targeted News Service |