The digitisation of the economy is one of the most important drivers behind the profound transformation of the labour market. Digitisation is seen to bring transformations in existing jobs, to impact working conditions, whereas it has resulted in an increased demand of digital skills which is expected to continue growing. Digital skills are required in many jobs and have become transversal skills to be acquired from an early age. The 2015 New priorities ET 2020 emphasise that “knowing how to code is empowering. It allows to understand the digital world we live in and to shape it". Basic coding skills are essential for accessing the jobs of tomorrow and today …Coding is seen as the red thread that runs through future professions”. Similarly, the 2018 Digital Education Action Plan urges MS to ‘BRING CODING CLASSES TO ALL SCHOOLS ACROSS EUROPE’ (p.9) at an EARLY AGE either ‘AS PART OF EDUCATIONAL CURRICULA OR THROUGH AFTER-SCHOOL CLASSES’ (p.8) while ‘encouraging ALL SCHOOLS IN EUROPE to participate in the EU CODE WEEK by collaborating with authorities etc. The promotion of digital acquisition is evident, as MS are encouraged to organise ‘EU-WIDE AWARENESS RAINING CAMPAIGN targeting educators, parents and learners’. The CODESKILLS4ROBOTICS project joins the efforts of Member States to promote coding and STEM skills in primary schools through robotics while engaging in an effective and innovative way the local community of the school in an attempt to create a holistic approach into dealing with multiplex digital competences. Based on the above the direct target group is primary school children from 9 to 12 years old who will participate in a coding programme to learn how to code. The indirect target group is primary school teachers whose profiles will be upgraded and strengthened through the professional development programme to acquire the essential digital and coding skills. The consortium consists of 6 partners from 4 EU countries which cover a wide range of expertise, but with unique characteristics. They are all eager to promote the introduction of coding in primary schools, so that students benefit from the positive aspects early in their life. A geographical balanced representation, as well as representation from different types of organizations to meet the needs of the project, as shown in the distribution of tasks/roles (Research Center, NGO, NPO, HEI, ICT VET Provider, Educational centre) is ensured. All organizations possess the skills and competences required complementing each other. Various multiplier events will be organized in the school, regional, national and EU level, ranging from INFODAYS, SEMINARS, DEBATES, OPEN CONSULTATIONS, CONFERENCES and events during the CODE WEEK. It is expected that Coding will help students to learn the importance of clarity of expression, to develop skills such as analytical thinking, logical reasoning problem solving, and creativity, whereas their understanding of maths, science, language, or their ability to learn foreign language or musical instrument will be improved thus meeting MS urge for better learning outcomes (PISA 2013). Schools are key players in introducing programing to students in an engaging way, and helping break down the negative stereotypes around it.
The digitisation of the economy is one of the most important drivers behind the profound transformation of the labour market. Digitisation is seen to bring transformations in existing jobs, to impact working conditions, whereas it has resulted in an increased demand of digital skills which is expected to continue growing. Digital skills are required in many jobs and have become transversal skills to be acquired from an early age. The 2015 New priorities ET 2020 emphasise that “knowing how to code is empowering. It allows to understand the digital world we live in and to shape it". Basic coding skills are essential for accessing the jobs of tomorrow and today …Coding is seen as the red thread that runs through future professions”. Similarly, the 2018 Digital Education Action Plan urges MS to ‘Bring Coding Classes to All Schools Across Europe’ (p.9) at an early age either ‘as part of educational curricula or through after-school classes’ (p.8) while ‘encouraging all schools in Europe to participate in the EU Code Week by collaborating with authorities etc. The promotion of digital acquisition is evident, as MS are encouraged to organise ‘EU-wide awareness training campaigns targeting educators, parents and learners’. The CODESKILLS4ROBOTICS project joined the efforts of Member States to promote Coding and STEM skills in primary schools through robotics while engaging in an effective and innovative way the local community of the school in an attempt to create a holistic approach into dealing with multiplex digital competences. This was achieved with the development of a Comparative Report, which recorded the current practice in all partner countries and their needs, which was followed by a Competence Framework (Syllabus) and the Dual Educational Back Pack, with learning material addressed to both teachers and students. The educational material also included 4 cross-curricular scenarios on history, space, environment and culture. An integrated e-Learning and e-Assessment was designed and developed together with a Mobile app, which hosted the educational material and also the Open Badges eco-system for the recognition and validation of knowledge and skills. Finally, a comprehensive Toolkit was produced including everything a school and teachers need in order to implement the program with their students. A pilot implementation of the toolkit and the material took place in schools with the participation of students and an evaluation of the Toolkit and the pilot implementation process was drafted at the end, which combined with the policy recommendations offer a read to implement strategy pack to interested stakeholders who wish to re-implement the programme. The direct target group is primary school children from 9 to 12 years old (with emphasis on girls) who participated in a coding and robotics programme to learn how to code and had the unique opportunity to engage in a stimulating extra-curricular activity with their teachers & peers. The indirect target group is primary school teachers whose profiles were upgraded and strengthened through the professional development programme to acquire the essential digital, coding and robotics skills. The consortium consisted of 6 partners from 4 EU countries which cover a wide range of expertise, but with unique characteristics. They were all eager to promote the introduction of coding and robotics in primary schools, so that students benefit from the positive aspects early in their life. A geographical balanced representation, as well as representation from different types of organizations to meet the needs of the project, as shown in the distribution of tasks/roles (Research Center, NGO, NPO, HEI, ICT VET Provider, Educational centre) was ensured. Five main multiplier events were organized in the school, regional, national and EU level, as well as other informative and educational activities ranging from infodays, official trainings (C1 for teachers & C2 for students), debates, open consultations, conferences and events during the EU Code Week. It is expected that Coding will help students to learn the importance of clarity of expression, to develop soft skills such as analytical thinking, logical reasoning, problem solving, and creativity, whereas their understanding of mathematics, science, language, or their ability to learn foreign language or musical instrument will be improved thus meeting MS urge for better learning outcomes (PISA 2013). Schools are key players in introducing programing to students in an engaging way, and helping break down the negative stereotypes around it.