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Kids can code, too: Computer-training school for youth opening franchise in London

Code Ninjas will have instruction for those aged seven to 14, using games as way to teach them the foundation of technology that is coding.

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Teaching kids the language of computers has gone the way of the fast-food hamburger: Franchising.

London boasts a host of businesses, schools and agencies that teach youths how to code, and now a franchise is set to open in the city offering classes.

Code Ninjas will offer instruction for those aged seven to 14, using games to teach the foundation of the technology that is coding, said Ammar Sokhon, who owns the Hyde Park Road business with his wife, Amani Issa.

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“Coding is an employable skill. It teaches kids to problem-solve while being empowered in a safe environment,” said Sokhon.

“Kids love video games and we teach them coding language” using games, he added.

“It is a much sought-after skill.”

Code Ninja is headquartered in Texas. When the London franchise opens Saturday, there will be five in Canada. The others are in Windsor, Burlington, Aurora, Waterloo and Winnipeg.

“The tech industry is booming, it is growing. There is a demand for this,” said Liam Stewart, a developer at Arcane, a digital marketing agency in London that offers its own non-profit Code Camp for youths 12 to 16.

“Basically, there is a market for the tech industry. It is so booming and growing, the earlier you learn to code, the better.”

Mitchell Bray, an account manager at Arcane, is not surprised London is getting a Code Ninjas franchise because the solid growth in the tech sector in recent years is getting noticed.

“London is becoming a hotbed. Over the last five years, there has been a lot of growth here,” said Bray.

“The more the merrier. This support youths and gives them skills in an area where there is so much opportunity now. It is great they are coming here. There are a ton of jobs.”

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Code Ninjas will open with about 10 coders on staff and offer classes through the week as well as with drop-in programs.

“This is screen times that should be welcomed by parents,” said Sokhon.

Laura Reid, a Western computer programming lecturer who runs a summer coding camp at the university, welcomes the franchise, but wonders why coding isn’t being taught in schools.

“There are jobs that will be obsolete in the future unless you can code. I want to know why we are still teaching biology, chemistry and physics in high school and not coding,” she said. “Ontario is missing the boat. If anything, businesses like these should be obsolete. It should be in the curriculum.”

ndebono@postmedia.com

Twitter.com/NormatLFPress

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