Brandix i3 supports global software coding initiative ‘Hour of Code’

Friday, 20 December 2013 00:01 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Thirty Sri Lankan children joined thousands around the world last week to learn coding, in support of the global ‘Hour of Code’ initiative spearheaded by the American non-profit, Code.org. The children aged 8 to 12 were introduced to the basics of writing computer programs at two sessions conducted by Brandix i3, the Brandix Group’s IT consulting and services company. Brandix i3, for which software development is a core business stream, deployed its own development team to facilitate the training to introduce coding to children at a young age. A global cause dedicated to growing computer science education by making it available in schools, the ‘Hour of Code’ initiative selected Computer Science Education Week (9 to 15 December 2013) to flag the cause across several countries, advocating supporters to set aside one hour to teach children how to code and help them understand the basic mechanics of coding. “Brandix i3 fully endorses the vision behind the ‘Hour of Code’ initiative,” said Arjuna Sirinanda the company’s CEO. “Sri Lanka has a global reputation for a growing skills base in the sphere of software development, and since Brandix i3 is rapidly growing its own development capability, we are always looking for ways to broaden the local resource base further. “We believe that it is important to expose children to coding as part of their essential education so that they recognise software development for its vast and exciting potential, early on in their formative years.” Endorsed by many global leaders and celebrities including Bill Gates, Bill Clinton, President Barack Obama, Ashton Kutcher, Shakira and Mark Zuckerberg, the ‘Hour of Code’ is based on the belief that computer science should be part of the core curriculum in education, alongside other science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses such as biology, physics, chemistry and algebra. Materials including tutorials and guidelines for ‘Hour of Code’ sessions were developed in 20 languages by Code.org and shared with corporates and schools that signed up for the cause. The target was to have 10 million children joining in and doing an hour of code during the week-long initiative. A fully-owned subsidiary of Brandix, the ISO 9001:2008 certified Brandix i3 was launched in April 2012 to provide services in Infor Consulting, Enterprise Software Development and Business Improvement Consulting. Brandix i3 has customers in the USA, Russia, Australia, South Asia and South East Asia, and currently has offices in Sri Lanka and USA. The company has a team of more than 160 extensively qualified, multi-skilled professionals, with global experience across diverse industries including fashion, healthcare, manufacturing and food and beverage.