FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 7, 2019

Montgomery Can Code Comes to MCPS Students in Montgomery County, Maryland

ROCKVILLE, MD, May 7, 2019 – Montgomery College, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) and Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) are working together to bring coding camp opportunities to County middle school students, through a summer program called Montgomery Can Code. This partnership will help students get familiar with the skills they need to pursue careers in the app economy by working in Swift, Apple’s easy-to-learn programming language that empowers anyone to create world-class apps. 

The summer camps will take place on Montgomery College’s Rockville and Takoma Park/Silver Spring campuses. The sessions will be taught through the college’s Information Technology Institute (ITI), through instructors trained in Swift. The free, week long camp sessions will take place from June 24 – August 2, with morning and afternoon sessions available. 

Students will learn to code using the interactive Swift Playgrounds for iPad, an app developed by Apple that takes advantage of the Multi-Touch features of iPad allowing students to use real code to learn key programming concepts by solving puzzles. Swift Playground requires no coding knowledge, so it’s perfect for students just starting out.

“IT and Coding are central to the skillsets needed to access the knowledge of economic opportunity,” said Dr. Sanjay Rai, Senior VP of Academic Affairs at Montgomery College. “I’m excited about Swift, a coding language that will engage our young people in a way that wasn’t possible before.” David Petr, MCEDC CEO & President, added, “Coding is essential to a future in technology. We are happy to partner in this unique program which helps develop critical problem-solving skills and early interest in great tech careers.”  

Career Pathway Days will be part of the program, providing participating students with opportunities to interact with leading local IT companies to talk about future careers. Contributing partners include WorkSource Montgomery, Montgomery Moving Forward and local business leaders. The summer experience will culminate with a Student Apps Showcase event which will highlight some of the students’ Swift Playgrounds App Design Journals. Students, parents, caregivers, teachers and local partners will be invited to attend the closing event.  

Learn more at Montgomery Can Code and see the FAQs. Register here.

ABOUT MONTGOMERY COLLEGE

Montgomery College is a public, open admissions community college with campuses in Germantown, Rockville, and Takoma Park/Silver Spring, plus workforce development/continuing education centers and off-site programs throughout Montgomery County, Md. The College serves nearly 60,000 students a year, through both credit and noncredit programs, in more than 100 areas of study.

ABOUT MCPS

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is the largest school system in Maryland with 162,680 students. A diverse school system with students coming from 157 countries and speaking 150 languages, it consists of 134 elementary schools, 40 middle schools and 25 high schools in the system. MCPS is an award-winning system recognized with 39 National Blue Ribbon and 8 National Green Ribbon schools.

ABOUT MCEDC

The Montgomery County Economic Development Corporation (MCEDC) is the official public-private organization representing Montgomery County, Maryland. The organization was created in 2016 to help businesses start, grow, and relocate in Montgomery County by providing access to top talent, business and market intelligence and prime locations. Follow us on Twitter,  Facebook and LinkedIn.