GitHub to expand free use of its educational products

Dive Brief:

GitHub has announced it will extend free access to its GitHub Education program beyond individual classrooms. GitHub Education is now open to any school interested in advancing tech knowledge, the company said, and the program has served over 10,000 courses so far.
Students and teachers will be able to access the growing suite of developer tools in GitHub’s Student Developer Pack, workflows for teachers in the GitHub Classroom, as well as training through campus advisors and experts.
Following the launch of their Student Developer Pack in 2014, teachers began to request help managing the coursework, prompting GitHub to create GitHub Classroom. In 2016, the company's campus experts were added to train the trainers with public speaking, tech writing, software development skills and more. Its campus advisor program adds teacher training to help familiarize instructors with teaching tools.

Dive Insight:

Upskilling is an essential component of preparing the workforce of today for the demands of tomorrow’s economy. By opening access to training solutions, GitHub and other firms can allow schools, large and small, to enhance the programs they already provide. Employers, too, are working with schools across the U.S. to train workers for planned new locations and to provide ongoing learning opportunities.

That effort includes new partnerships that aim to address skills gaps across a variety of industries. Local trade schools are pairing with business and community groups to offer training and job placement. Some observers suggest that starting at the high school level (or earlier) is necessary to enhance workforce preparation; IBM, for example, launched a STEM high school last year. Some programs are even aimed at highlighting careers in STEM fields at the elementary school level, particularly for young girls and minorities.

It’s clear that demand-driven education will be the likely model for the future. Preparing students for marketable career paths is the new paradigm for learning in brick and mortar as well as virtual classrooms.