Investment

Oracle Pledges $1.4 Billion for Computer Science Education in the EU

• By Richard Chang
• 12/01/16

In conjunction with a new collaboration between the European Commission and DigitalEurope, Oracle unveiled Thursday a three-year investment totaling $1.4 billion in direct and in-kind support of computer science education throughout the European Union member states.

The European Commission and DigitalEurope have launched the Digital Skills and Jobs Coalition, a multi-stakeholder partnership to bolster computer science and coding proficiency at all levels within Europe’s workforce and education pipeline.

Nearly  1,000 EU educational institutions currently collaborate with Oracle Academy, Oracle’s flagship program in education philanthropy that brings computer science education to nearly 3.1 million students in 110 countries, according to a news release. As part of the $1.4 billion pledge, Oracle Academy aims to train 1,000 additional EU educators in CS, Java and Database instruction, as well as reach students across an added 1,000 EU educational institutions over the next three years.

“Over the last 10 years, we’ve seen the demand for workers with computer science and coding skills grow by 4 percent each year,” said John Higgins, director general of DigitalEurope, in a statement. “Oracle’s efforts to bring computer science into classrooms across the European Union will help strengthen our digital economy.”

In addition, Oracle Academy will operate several programs during the next three years, including:

Invite national coalitions in EU member states to partner with Oracle Academy in delivering computer science education to teachers and students;

Provide new higher education curriculum in emerging technologies; and

Level Oracle Academy’s entire curriculum to the European Qualifications Framework.

Thursday’s commitment is an extension of Oracle’s pledge in 2013, which trained 1,246 EU educators to teach computer science, as well as added 203 EU educational institutions to Oracle Academy.

To learn more about the EU Digital Skills and Job Coalition, visit this European Commission site.