Microsoft’s YouthSpark encourages young talent with emerging technology
Talent, commitment, passion, love or call it what you like to define a bunch of young people who consistently keep tapping on their laptops while focusing with serious attention to win a competition. The event? Hour of coding’, a competition that puts to the test the knowledge students have on computer science.
Microsoft Sri Lanka together with Sarvodaya Fusion hosted YouthSpark Live 2016 last week at the Trace City in Colombo. A large number of students from schools and universities island-wide gathered to take part in the competition. The intention to host the competition in Colombo was to evaluate the knowledge of the tech minds living in the city and how fast and efficient they could be.
Surprisingly a team of students from Udubaddawa in Kuliyapitiya, a town in Kurunegala district won the contest. The Business Times got hold of the three students from this winning team, and one of them said, “This was the first time we took part in a coding relay competition. Sarvodaya Fusion had set up a telecenter in Kurunegala and three of us got trained there. It was a one-day training for coding. Teamwork, commitment and the passion to learn computer science paved the way for us here.”
Microsoft Sri Lanka Director for Developer Experience, Wellington Perera told the Business Times that there were 35 teams that took part in the competition and this was the first time that a competition of this nature had taken place in Colombo. Similar competitions have taken place during the last three years outside Colombo. “We need to bring this to the awareness of aspiring young talents and educate them about computer science.” More training activities on the same lines will be held in different locations, he added.
YouthSpark Live was meant to encourage, empower and excite participants of all ages and varying backgrounds to learn about computer science and what a career in technology and the digital space would look like. The event also taught participants not only how to use technology but also to create it to become drivers of innovation and growth within their communities.
Participants were taken on a guided tour emphasising the importance of computer science now and in the future. A Microsoft student partner booth focused on the significance of the field for youth while a job opportunities booth touched on the growing demand for computer science education in the workforce. Attendees were able to engage in mock interviews and receive career guidance tips from Microsoft representatives.
YouthSpark Live is in line with Microsoft’s goals to support initiatives that assist Sri Lanka on its journey of digital transformation and spark innovation amongst the nation’s youth.