Impact

It’s definitely developed my coding. I used to be all right at it - I wasn't the best, I wasn’t the worst, I was around the middle. But after doing [Innovate for Climate Change], it’s got even better. I feel confident doing it now.

“We all learned a lot about how to code as none of us knew before and afterwards we had a fully working app.

We've learned so many new skills, whether that's teamwork, coding or marketing. We've got a lot of experience now, which will hopefully help us in the future.

I think confidence is a big one and coding and also teamwork. I'm always working alone, I don't like working in groups. But this made it really enjoyable to be in groups.

One of the things that I was not good at was presenting or speaking publicly. Through this, I was able to develop that skill a lot more. Working in a team is something I found relatively easy, but I was still able to develop the skill more by learning to come to compromises and making decisions.

It’s interesting to see the findings obtained by Apps for Good on young people's perceptions of their essential skills. They provide insight into the fantastic provision on offer that truly brings the essential skills to life for students in the world of STEM, where these skills for success are often overlooked.

We've noticed that students are left a lot more resilient and a lot more introspective, and looking at how they might solve their own problems.

Apps for Good teaches critical skills such as digital literacy, coding, how to manage projects, and how to test their products. The programs implant the necessity for students to think critically, be creative, act collaboratively, and be resilient and adaptable.

Innovate for Climate Change gives young people the opportunity to build digital skills while empowering them to take real action on the climate crisis. OVO Foundation is proud to support Apps for Good in delivering the programme in schools up and down the UK, building the next generation’s green skills. Our OVO industry volunteers are always blown away at the innovative and exciting ideas that young people come up with to tackle the climate crisis!

There continues to be a massive shortage of tech skills and significant blockages in the talent pipeline for those from under-resourced backgrounds. To address these interwoven challenges, we need to ensure young people are inspired and enthused by the possibilities of tech early on, seeing it as relevant, engaging and a pathway they could pursue. Apps for Good’s programmes are at the vanguard of opening young people’s eyes to tech before their options are closed down.

“As technology continues to reshape our world, cultivating the digital skills of future generations is essential to building a more resilient and inclusive future. BNY is proud to support Apps for Good in their mission to equip young people with the tools they need to thrive and adapt in a changing world.”

Northern Consortium are proud to support Apps for Good to aid the delivery of their innovative digital skills programmes to students across the UK. The programmes help students to build confidence, enhance skills and attain knowledge in ways which fit with the curriculum, thereby ensuring that no student is left behind and obstacles can be overcome. Keep up the great work!

[Industry engagement] was a confidence boost. At the start, we weren't really sure about how we could develop this app. But he gave us a lot of tips and ideas about what would and wouldn't work, which made us feel a lot more competent.

Doing the pitch was nerve wracking but it was nice to show our ideas and get feedback on them. It really helped solidify our marketing strategies and what we’ve learned.

I was a little bit nervous to start with but when they were asking questions, it was like a normal presentation and a conversation you’d have with friends. They weren’t just saying “yeah it’s good”, it was an involved conversation. They gave us some brilliant feedback.

Google delivered a session at the start of the course, and talked about how you come up with innovative ideas. That sort of direct, relevant, purposeful industry engagement is so important. It makes the children feel so important as well. It gives them such a sense of self-belief about what's possible.

[Working on something that matters to me] makes me feel like I'm a part of something important. Before, I would sit down at home and just watch Netflix, but it does feel like I'm part of something important. I can make a better change no matter how small it is.

Me being passionate about [the topic I chose] makes me want to strive to improve it and make it better and make more people able to see it.

When you've got the freedom to do something, it makes it a lot more enjoyable. If you don't have freedom, it feels forced, repetitive, boring, you won't enjoy it as much. We had a lot of fun with it.

It felt really good because we had real responsibility. We were given a chance, we weren't stopped by someone saying "No, you can't do this because it's wrong". We had to learn through our own mistakes [...] we had our own free will, which was really nice, because we had a responsibility, and we got to take care of that. And we made our mistakes and we learned.

I think our ideas might have been more limited [if we hadn't been able to choose our app idea]. We wouldn't have as much enthusiasm or be as confident as we are now.

When students work on projects that matter to them, they show remarkable enthusiasm and dedication. They are motivated by the opportunity to make a positive impact, and this often sparks a lasting interest in social change.

When I first started computing I was like, “oh my gosh, I'm never picking this subject” because it was super hard. But now, learning about App Lab, and wireframes and designing [...] makes it much easier and I think I might do it [...] I found that I have a talent for it and I'm good at it.

When I'm older I’m going to go into a tech industry and this has helped me understand what it’s all about [...] I’d already made the decision but this has really encouraged me more.

I'm planning on doing computer science at university. It's something I've always loved, coding and solving problems. [Apps for Good] gave me an opportunity to look into the business side and the entrepreneurial side of computer science [...] this has impacted what sector I want to go into and made me realise that I want to do computer science or coding to help others.

I think I will be studying computing for GCSE [...] the Apps for Good course has made computing a lot more fun for me. I used to be very bored in ICT lessons, but it's really changed my lessons for the better.

I knew I wanted to do computer science and computing in the future, but I wasn't sure about the job opportunities that it gave. This gives you an insight into how app developing would be [...] It’s given an insight into what sort of jobs you could take on.

We've got students that did the course in the first or second year. There's so many of them now working in the technology industry, who, when they come back into school as alumni, talk about being involved in this little after school club that just made such a difference and really changed their trajectory.

[A student’s] career mindset is broadened by being inspired by those panellists to think about how they could contribute and the types of careers that may be available. To hear that some careers are not even yet formulated, that they can learn the skills of creativity, innovation, technology, group work, and gaining confidence to just see that there are lots of possibilities for them.