TERRE HAUTE, Ind. (WTWO/WAWV) – Camp Navigate is primarily known for teaching local students the importance of soft skills, but now on Tuesday and Thursday evenings the program could be known for something different.
Recently, Camp Navigate and Rose-Hulman partnered to create a hands-on coding program for students in Camp Navigate.
“IT skills, and coding, and programming, and all these things. They’re also going to need to know how to do that and they can learn that at a young age just like they can the soft skills,” said Eleanor Ramseier, executive director of Camp Navigate.
The coding program allows for Rose-Hulman students to teach younger generations the in’s and out’s of coding.
“I had students ask me like ‘Which class is this most like at Rose-Hulman?” and I’m like ‘This isn’t like any class at Rose-Hulman, this is something new. This is an opportunity that you wouldn’t normally get,’” said David Fisher, computer science and mechanical engineering professor at Rose-Hulman.
While Rose-Hulman students get a unique chance to teach, Fisher says this program also allows for young students to learn skills in a field that is expected to grow.
“There’s more apps, there’s more websites. There’s more opportunities everyday for people to have jobs in computer,” Fisher said.
Leaders at Camp Navigate say they’ve already seen the excitement surrounding the program.
“Parents are super excited because really in all honesty, where is an elementary school kid in Vigo County going to get instruction from a Rose-Hulman student and professor? Right here at Camp Navigate,” Ramseier said.
Fisher says six Rose-Hulman students are signed up for this coding program but 10 have already signed up for the next one.
Camp Navigate was also awarded $6,000 from the Vectren Foundation to help cover costs of the program.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the field of computer and information technology is expected to see a 12% job increase by 2028.
This would make the field the fastest growing in the country.
