ECWT´s key engagement in the area of coding is during 2016-2017 focused on the annual EU Code Week activities and being a committed partner in the Edu-Code project led by Funditec, Spain, and with partners from Greece (CCS), Italy (Eurocrea Merchant) Poland (Lodz University of Technology), Spain (Eolas, CETEI) and Norway (ECWT).

The Edu-Code project aims to create and adapt a set of tools and methodology to learn young adults to code. Edu-Code´s target group is young adults (over 20 years old), without previous knowledge of coding, with at least a secondary education level, and currently not engaged in formal educational paths, seeking a job, or inactive on the labor market.

The ultimate goal is:

• Enhance the target group´s understanding of a hyper-connected world and environment through increased knowledge of software and coding;
• Promote the target group´s active and conscious usage of ICT tools;
• Empower people by increasing their capacity to solve problems, work in teams and think analytically;
• Develop a training system to provide adults with the basic knowledge of computer programming.

To map the real needs of the target group in the second half-year of 20126 ECWT has prepared and carried out a survey in the five participating countries.

The survey focused on three main questions:

• The Background of the respondents (demographics)
• The past experience and the needs of the participants in the training (topics) and
• The key ingredients and the methodology of the training platform to be developed during 2017.

The survey was answered by 212 people (53% men and 47% women) between 18 and 55+ years old and 86% of them living in urban, 14% in rural areas. 60% of the participants have master’s or Postgraduate degrees and in fact, 64% are employed, still keen to learn to code!
A majority of the respondents are, however, interested to start their own business and in any case, simply fascinated about learning to code! 39% have also some previous experience in coding. Most learners are interested in increasing their basic digital skills, learning basic computer programming and WordPress.