A new program for young people interested in learning coding is being offered across the province.

“Coding Fun!” offers virtual coding courses for students ages 8-18 who are total beginners.

There is no mandatory computer science or coding education in this province, so Kelsey Hynes, the founder of Coding Fun!, took it upon herself to encourage more students to pursue coding as a career.

She says by using a simpler coding program called Scratch, which has a visual aspect to it, coding can be for everyone.

She says she wants to show young people that coding isn’t just for “super smart” people who are into science and math; it can be for anyone and can be a creative process.

Hynes says she started the program to try to address the shortage of people in the province’s tech sector.

When she realized how badly the province lacks in computer science education, while having a booming tech scene without enough talent to hire, she saw a real need to get young people interested in coding.