(Re)insurer XL Catlin has partnered with UK autonomous vehicle software firm Oxbotica to roll out an education programme aimed at inspiring students to consider the likes of robotics, artificial intelligence, and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Maths) as their career path.
Called “Code Smart,” the computing and robotics education initiative will focus on driverless cars in an effort to encourage youngsters to take up coding and come up with innovative transport solutions.
Based on Oxbotica’s work and designed by education social enterprise Encounter Edu, the programme is aligned with England’s computing national curriculum and the ISTE (International Society for Technology in Education) Standards in the US.
“Autonomy provides a great opportunity to excite and shape our future world; encouraging this discussion and debate in our classrooms will inspire the next generation of talent to help this become a reality for us all,” commented Vincent Branch, chief executive for Accelerate, XL Catlin.
Code Smart features six sessions that will see students develop their coding and hardware skills before taking on a three-session Smart City design challenge. The programme will commence in October.
“As a global (re)insurer, building future-focussed risk solutions that help business and society adapt to the ever-changing technologies evolving our world is part of our mission,” said XL Catlin director of sustainable development Chip Cunliffe.
“Educational outreach through high-quality education programmes like Code Smart is a natural extension of that commitment.”
