Technology is fundamental to daily life, business and almost every occupation in our modern economy. Computer science education, however, is still often overlooked in K-12 classrooms. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports there will be more than one million computing jobs by 2020, or an equivalent of a $500 billion boost to the overall economy. We need to do better to equip up and coming developers and IT managers for this future, a future that can bring much new innovation if we have the people to drive it.

That’s why The Linux Foundation is joining other companies and organizations this month to partner with Code.org, celebrate Computer Science Education Week and support Hour of Code (HoC). Everyone from the White House to AirBnb, Lucas Films and tech companies like Amazon and IBM will be part of next week’s activities. The Linux Foundation hopes to do its small part through the contributions of its own in-house experts who have volunteered for HoC and will be visiting K-12 schools in their communities to promote careers in technology and teach basic coding lessons. We’re also making a small cash donation to Code.org this month to increase access to computer science education for young people. 

Providing future generations with the tools and resources necessary to pursue careers  in some of the fastest-growing, highest paying jobs in the world will fuel the economy with invaluable tech talent for years to come. The Linux Foundation’s own training program allows developers and IT managers to learn Linux and open source technologies from the source. With more technologies than ever being built with open source software, these skills represent the most lucrative entry point to any IT career.

If you would like to join us other technology professionals in sharing your knowledge about technology, you can still sign up for HoC now.