Blockchain disrupter SIMBA Chain, aligned with a growing number of colleges and universities, has just signed an agreement with Digital Leader Academy to bring blockchain curriculum and certifications to high school students across the United States. Digital Leader Academy’s technology curriculums are designed for teachers to prepare students to make an immediate and meaningful impact in the workforce or encourage them to continue their technology education beyond high school.
David Wasson, the lead executive for SIMBA Chain’s education practice, says Digital Leader Academy’s focus on emerging technology education in high schools made SIMBA Chain’s easy-to-use blockchain education tools a natural fit for the programs. “Blockchain technology is one of the most in-demand employment skills in the world today, which makes it a perfect subject for Digital Leader Academy to include in their high school education programs,” says Wasson. “Two years ago, you needed to be a computer programmer to access blockchain, but now with SIMBA Chain’s intuitive blockchain platform, students with little if any experience level can easily learn the technology.”
Like SIMBA Chain, Digital Leader Academy is a startup company from the University of Notre Dame. Co-founder and CEO Ellen Joyce launched the company in 2019 with the help of the Notre Dame IDEA Center after recognizing the need for all high school students to be technologically literate and have an education that provides them with employable skills. Joyce is a graduate of the Notre Dame ESTEEM master of science program.
“Digital Leader and SIMBA will offer a novel course design where students investigate a real-world use case and blockchain solution within small workgroups, blending collaborative learning with industry-standard agile development practices. The teams will utilize SIMBA Chain’s blockchain education tools to prove the viability of their solutions. This approach provides a fun learning experience that promotes critical thinking resulting in tangible skills applicable to the workforce or further education opportunities,” Joyce explains. “Equally important, the lesson plans will be designed for teachers to quickly and easily deploy, minimizing their class preparation time.”
Samuel Cowdery, vice president at Digital Leader Academy, says more industries in the United States from advanced manufacturing and supply chain to fintech and the defense sector are emphasizing emerging technology education to keep pace with the growing digital economy.
“In Indiana alone, 40 percent of high school graduates are moving directly to the workforce. Many jobs such as advanced manufacturing require a technology-based skill set,” Cowdery says. “Digital Leader Academy seeks to prepare students for careers in these industries with an innovative curriculum that translates into employable skills.”
The ultimate goal, says Wasson, is to prepare the next generation to lead the way with emerging technologies. “We want to show students what’s possible with blockchain and let them reimagine the world.”
SIMBA Chain’s blockchain educational module and blockchain certification for Digital Leader Academy will launch in classrooms in spring 2021.
