Ireland’s national festival of technology is back from the 11-18th May with events taking place right across the country throughout the week. Tech Week aims to light up young imaginations, spark an interest in technology and related study and shine a light on future careers in STEM. Tech Week is sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and is supported by the SFI Discover programme.
About Tech Week
Tech Week provides hands-on opportunities to learn about how computing and related technology are shaping every area of life. The aim of the week is to stimulate thinking around future opportunities for study and careers in technology, through learning in the wider areas of science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) subjects.
Now in its 6th year, Tech Week has quickly gained momentum, with schools, teachers, and local communities finding new and creative ways to help students engage with technology in their local area.
Events Across the Country
School students will be challenged on their computational thinking skills at the National Bebras final in NUI Maynooth on 11th May and coding projects will be showcased by school children in the Scratch Programming Final in UL on 15th May 2019.
Other events include ‘The Hour of Code’, ‘Bricks4Kidz’ and ‘Snap Circuits’ where students can build a lie detector, a doorbell or an automatic street lamp, and learn about alternative, green energy sources, among other technologies.
Organised by the ICS Foundation, the social enterprise arm of the Irish Computer Society, sponsored by Amazon Web Services (AWS) and supported by Science Foundation Ireland, this exciting week of events will see many tens of thousands of students take part in a range of fun activities, including the finals of several national Tech Week events.
Speaking at the launch of Tech Week 2019, Jim Friars, CEO of the Irish Computer Society said “Inspiring young people to pursue STEM subjects in second and third level education and into related industries is key to addressing the skills gap Ireland is currently facing. By creating fun hands-on experiences for young students, Tech Week aims to ignite imaginations and an interest in science, technology and maths. Its goal is to shine a light on the path to exciting careers and bright futures in STEM for the next generation of technologists, scientists and engineers.”
Response
Mike Beary, AWS Ireland Country Manager said: “At AWS we are focused on innovating and building on behalf of customers, and we excited to support Tech Week Ireland, again this year. Tech Week is a wonderful initiative that aims to spark young imaginations and inspire students to use technology in creative ways. The array of activities, workshops and seminars students will have access to throughout the week will expose them to everything from cloud computing to machine learning and Internet of Things (IoT), and highlight the exciting job opportunities that exist within the IT industry. Encouraging more people to consider a career in technology will be fundamental to powering Ireland’s digital economy.”
Dr Ruth Freeman, Director, Science for Society, Science Foundation Ireland, said: “Ireland needs the very best talent to help us innovate and create sustainable and positive new technologies and products for the future. Tech Week’s unique blend of showcase events, workshops and competitions help inspire young students about careers in science, technology, engineering and maths and inspire future generations to fulfil their potential. Science Foundation Ireland is delighted to support Tech Week once again.”
You can learn all about Tech Week 2019 by visiting www.techweek.ie, following them on facebook.com or following @TechWeekIRL on Twitter.