More than one million microcomputers will be given to every Year-7 student in the UK from August this year, as part of a major nationwide initiative to inspire a new generation of coders.
The small, wearable microcomputer–nicknamed the Micro Bit–is said to be a “standalone, entry-level coding device that allows children to pick it up, plug it into a computer and start creating with it immediately.”
In a bid to recapture the success of the BBC Micro computer, which was released to schools in the ’80s and helped cultivate a generation of coders, the Micro Bit device will teach students aged 11-12 the fundamentals of coding.
This flagship initiative, spearheaded by the BBC, comes amid fears that the UK is facing a skills shortage as it enters into the digital age. According to a 2014 report from the creative media council Skillset, more than 1.4 million digital professionals will be required in the UK for employment over the next five years.
It is hoped that giving children devices to code with will help inspire them onto the path of a programming career, which could theoretically close the skill gap within a decade.
The Micro Bit’s specs were not disclosed, and the BBC said the name is not final.
Meanwhile, as part of the wider “Make It Digital” initiative, a trainee scheme is expected to provide opportunities for up to 5,000 young unemployed people. Companies already signed up to the trainee scheme include ARM, Barclays, Google, Microsoft, and Samsung.
Finally, the broadcasting arm of the BBC is bringing together a season of programmes that it hopes will help arouse interest in coding. As part of this, the broadcaster will air a BBC Two drama based on Grand Theft Auto, as well as a documentary on Bletchley Park, where the enigma code was cracked during World War 2.
“This is exactly what the BBC is all about – bringing the industry together on an unprecedented scale and making a difference to millions,” said BBC director general Tony Hall.
“Just as we did with the BBC Micro in the 1980s, we want to inspire the digital visionaries of the future. Only the BBC can bring partners together to attempt something this ambitious, this important to Britain’s future on the world stage.
“BBC Make it Digital could help digital creativity become as familiar and fundamental as writing, and I’m truly excited by what Britain, and future great Britons, can achieve.”
To find out more, visit BBC Make it Digital.
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