CyberLaunch Academy Announced for New Brunswick’s Youth
FREDERICTON–Opportunities NB’s CyberNB announced today the launch of CyberLaunch Academy, an initiative aiming to promote science and technology to students in elementary, middle and high school.
The new initiative is meant to help students build skills for a future in the technology-leaning future and will aim to help reduce gender imbalance in science and technology by encouraging a high level of computer science proficiency in all participants.
“We believe this is a great opportunity for the province,” premier Brian Gallant said at the announcement. “This is something that puts forward the framework that we need to all work together on to advance economic growth in the province.”
Founder and president of CyberLaunch Academy and NB Innovation Research Chair in Cybersecurity at the University of New Brunswick Natalia Stakhanova explained that the academy’s strategy is to encourage youth to seek further technology training in New Brunswick colleges and universities.
“Currently the majority of computer science programs in North American universities are designed to teach basic skills such as coding during the first years of school,” Stakhanova said. “Our objective is to provide this training to school-age children. This will give them a competitive advantage later in life when they enter the job market or enroll in science and technology programs at universities.”
Stakhanova explained that the academy will aim to reduce gender imbalance in science and technology fields by having girls and boys learn the same curriculum, but separately.
“It’s not a secret that women are underrepresented in IT fields,” she said. “Through past experience I have found it beneficial to separate boys and girls. Unlike in mixed classes, where girls usually kept lower profiles, an all-girls environment turned them into inquisitive, curious and proactive learners.
Opportunities NB is supporting CyberLaunch Academy with a $75,000 non-repayable contribution and $85,000 repayable loan.