For the third consecutive year, Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems, LLC, has donated $10,000 to sponsor a summer program designed to engage local rising ninth- through twelfth-grade students in hands-on, interactive computer coding activities.
Dubbed the High School Coding Camp, Bendix says the program is designed for NEO high school students, and split into eight week-long, full-day sessions – each sponsored by leading NEO employers and industry groups in conjunction with TECH CORPS and the Northeast Ohio Regional Information Technology Engagement (RITE) Board. Bendix has donated $10,000 each year since the High School Coding Camp began in 2015.
The eight camps – free to participating students – are being held from June to August at colleges and universities in Northeast Ohio. Among the sites is Lorain County Community College (LCCC), in Elyria, where Bendix is headquartered. In all, the camps will serve more than 100 high schoolers selected through an application process. For the second consecutive year, Bendix says one of the camps is girls-only, to encourage more girls to enter the IT field.
Bendix says each camp consists of a 40-hour program in which up to 20 students will learn industry-standard programming languages and – through a series of labs and activities – be exposed to the same challenges software designers encounter daily. Students will also interact with technology professionals from the sponsor organizations and learn about educational and career pathways in the region. New this year, the High School Coding Camp is offering sessions on cyber security to previous camp attendees or to students with prior coding experience.
“We’re excited to once again sponsor the High School Coding Camp, and to help groom the next generation of IT professionals,” says Kate Scheibelhut, director, IT Americas & Global Innovation at Bendix. “The program provides invaluable hands-on experience and an opportunity for local students to discover their passion, build their IT skills, and grow professionally in a very high-demand career field. The growth of this program, evident by the addition of cyber security training, speaks volumes to the level of commitment among Bendix leadership and everyone else involved – including the program’s talented, motivated students.”
Scheibelhut serves as LCCC RITE Council employer representative for Bendix, the North American leader in the development and manufacture of leading-edge active safety and braking system technologies for commercial vehicles. The effort is part of Bendix’s ongoing dedication to support local STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) and education initiatives, as well as area-wide community growth, the company says.
“The opportunity to sponsor the High School Coding Camp is a seamless fit into our company-wide commitment to supporting STEM programs,” Scheibelhut says. “When we’re able to support education and technology in our local communities, as we are with this program, everybody wins.”
