In recognition of the vital importance of computer science education for the state of Georgia’s future workforce, and its economic competitiveness and growth, Governor Deal has signed a proclamation declaring December 10, 2014 the first Day of Code for the state.

“Computing is currently one of the fastest growing occupations in the country with average salaries nearly twice the national rate,” said Gov. Nathan Deal. “More than half of the projected job growth in the STEM fields will be in computing occupations. Students need to acquire the 21st century skills necessary to thrive in the modern workforce. Georgia Day of Code provides teachers, students and companies with tutorials and information emphasizing the importance of computer programming. It is my hope that Georgians will take advantage of this learning opportunity and help maintain Georgia’s position as a leader in technology.”

The Technology Association of Georgia (TAG) and its charitable organization dedicated to preparing the next-generation workforce, TAG Education Collaborative (TAG-Ed), are partnering with Code.org to establish the first Georgia Day of Code. The event is part of Computer Science Education Week December 8^th-14^th to encourage participation in Code.org’s Hour of Code throughout the state.

“Our goal with Georgia Day of Code is to raise awareness about how critical computer science education has become and the opportunities and huge demand for students that exist with coding as a skill set,” said Chris Klaus, tech entrepreneur and CEO of Keneva.

 Georgia teachers, students, individuals, and companies are strongly encouraged to participate in the Hour of Code through Code.org this year on December 10, 2014. Hour of Code is an introduction to computer science designed to show that anyone can learn the basics of coding. Code.org provides hour-long tutorialsfeaturing Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Angry Birds, and more.  These tutorials are equipped for computers, tablets, smartphones, or no computer at all. 

“TAG and TAG-Ed hope that Georgia Day of Code will act as a catalyst to help get more students excited about learning to code both in the classroom on and their own,” said Tino Mantella, president and CEO of TAG.

Additionally, K-12 participants in Hour of Code have the opportunity to win ten thousand dollars for their school by pre-registering their participation here.

To learn more about Hour of Code visit code.org. TO learn more about Georgia Day of Code and the TAG Educational Collaborative visit www.tagedonline.org/Georgia-day-of-code.