The HTML500, Canada’s largest free, learn-how-to-code event, is happening in Vancouver, Calgary, London, and Toronto
| Vancouver | January 24, 2015 | The Rocky Mountaineer Station – 1755 Cottrell St. Vancouver, BC |
| Calgary | January 31, 2015 | Red and White Club, U of Calgary – 1833 Crowchild Trail NW Calgary, AB |
| London | February 7, 2015 | London Convention Centre – 300 York St. London, ON |
| Toronto | February 22, 2015 | TBD |
When Lighthouse Labs debuted The HTML500 in Vancouver last February, it garnered 500 attendees and attracted 1,300 hopefuls on the waitlist. A remarkable 60 per cent of attendees were women. Attendees ranged from 13 to 65 years of age and most had little to no previous coding experience. It was a fun, unassuming and supportive environment that brought the technology community together. Who knew that a one-day crash course on basic HTML and CSS would be so popular? There is a clear demand for basic coding skills in Canada and The HTML500 is bringing this need for digital literacy to the forefront in January and February 2015.
“Canada has the opportunity to be a global leader in digital literacy. Our ability to create and understand code will be an incredibly useful skill in building a robust economy for a future that is exponentially becoming dominated by technology,” says Jeremy Shaki, Lighthouse Labs co-founder.
“We created The HTML500 to champion digital literacy in Canada because we want to see coding as a part of regular school curricula, much like English or math. Code is a fundamental part to practically everything we use in our personal and professional lives so we should all understand how it works,” adds Khurram Virani, Lighthouse Labs co-founder.
The HTML500’s learn-by-doing approach mirrors Lighthouse Labs 8-week coding bootcamp. Participants are expected to bring their own laptop to the event; Internet connection and lunch will be provided. By day’s end, participants will have created their own landing page through an easy, hands-on HTML and CSS curriculum built by Virani, who is also Lighthouse Labs director of education.
Through the support of National Founding Partner, TELUS, and over 200 sponsors, The HTML500 helps demonstrate the community’s commitment to building a global technology hub in Canada.
“At TELUS, we give where we live. Since 2000, we have contributed more than $390 million to charitable and not-for-profit organizations and volunteered 6 million hours of service to local communities. Giving back to the development community and supporting The HTML500 as the 2015 National Founding Partner is a natural extension of this commitment,” said Shawn Mandel, vice-president, TELUS digital. “These days, coding is no different than learning to speak a new language and we are excited about the opportunity that The HTML500 presents as a unique learning outlet for the growing Canadian digital market.”
Participants can also explore careers in the technology industry at the on-site career fair presented by founding partner Vancouver Economic Commission. The career fair is a new feature to The HTML500 experience, boosting attendees’ networking opportunities with recruiters and the 100+ developers who are giving back to the community by donating their time, expertise and resources.
“Technology is the underpinning of our knowledge-based economy. Every sector benefits when more people have basic coding skills. Supporting The HTML500 is an incredibly easy decision for us,” says Ian McKay, Vancouver Economic Commission CEO.
Follow the The HTML500 on Twitter @TheHTML500 or on the web at www.thehtml500.com
