Microsoft invites schools to ‘hour of code’

Microsoft Ireland will run an "hour of code" this Wednesday and Thursday, inviting every school in Ireland to take part.

The initiative aims to broaden global participation in computer science and give as many people as possible the opportunity to learn to code.

The company will send employee volunteers out to schools to deliver an hour of code in person.

It will also make tutorials available to all schools so they can run the session in the school with no technical capability and no mentor present.

Microsoft Ireland managing director Cathriona Hallahan said a core part of the company's mission is to equip young people with "computational thinking and problem-solving skills to succeed in an increasingly digital world".

Mary Moloney, chief executive of the CoderDojo Foundation, said she hopes people across the country will get involved and try out coding on the day. "With the support of companies like Microsoft we're hoping to spread the reach and interest in coding across Ireland and beyond."

To date, more than 100 million students across 180 countries and 40 languages have participated in the initiative.