Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor students inspire a new generation of young coders through the Code Club initiative

The college’s Dolgellau campus was host to 98 Year 5 and 6 pupils from across all Ysgol Bro Idris primary sites, as they got together to celebrate a year of learning at the annual Code Club Competition.

Working in pairs, the pupils designed and created their own interactive computer games, which were judged on creativity, technical skill, gameplay and overall user experience.

The competition ended with an awards ceremony celebrating the creativity, teamwork and technical ability demonstrated by the young coders, with prizes, including tablets and IT equipment, being presented to the highest-scoring teams.

Throughout this academic year, Level 3 IT students from the college delivered weekly Code Club sessions for the primary school pupils, introducing them to coding through the nonprofit Scratch community.

The Code Club programme provides valuable opportunities for both primary school pupils and Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor students. While younger pupils develop coding, creativity, problem-solving and teamwork skills, the college’s Level 3 IT learners gain real-world experience by planning and delivering sessions, mentoring younger learners and helping to organise the annual competition. The project also enables them to develop valuable employability skills including communication, leadership, organisation and confidence.

Building on the success of the programme with Ysgol Bro Idris, the Code Club sessions have continued to grow this year. In response to increasing interest from local schools, additional sessions have been delivered to more than 70 pupils from other primary schools across the region, enabling even more young people to experience coding in a fun and engaging way.

Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor IT Lecturer Sioned William said:

“Code Club continues to be a fantastic opportunity for young people to develop coding skills in a fun, creative and supportive environment.

The annual competition is always a highlight, giving pupils the opportunity to celebrate everything they have learned throughout the year. It has also been wonderful to see increasing interest in the initiative.

I am incredibly proud of our Level 3 IT students, whose enthusiasm and commitment have made the programme such a success. They have not only supported younger learners to develop new skills but have also gained valuable experience themselves through planning, teaching and organising the project.”

Level 3 Information Technology student Alister said:

“Preparing for Code Club and working with the participants was challenging not only for me but also for many of my colleagues, but seeing the Code Club participants’ confidence and enthusiasm grow made all the hard work worthwhile. It was an incredibly rewarding experience that I’m proud to have been part of.”

Following another successful year, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor hopes to continue growing the Code Club programme, giving even more young people across the region the opportunity to develop digital skills while providing valuable leadership and teaching experience for its own students.

If you are a local business or organisation and are interested in supporting the future development of the initiative through sponsorship, helping to extend its reach and create even more opportunities for young people across the region, the college would love to hear from you. You can get in touch on the website: https://www.gllm.ac.uk/contact-us .

Interested in a career in Information Technology? It’s not too late to start your story at Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor this September. Head over to the website to see the range of courses across Grŵp Llandrillo Menai and where they can take you: https://www.gllm.ac.uk/courses/computing-digital-technologies