Dive Brief:

• On Thursday, Dec.11, Apple will take part in the second annual "Hour of Code" by offering students a free coding workshop.
• The company's domestic and international retail stores will host the one-hour courses, which will cover basic computer science concepts.
• The Hour of Code, which was started by Code.org, is an international event aiming to introduce youth and students to computer science opportunities and programming.

Dive Insight:

Hour of Code isn't the only special treat Apple has in store. Throughout next week, the tech giant will also host an array of speakers and presentations in support of Computer Science Education Week. 

As STEM education has gained popularity in schools, so too have coding courses. Even kindergartners are getting opportunities to get their feet wet.  

One reason why coding has become such a hot skill is because computer science is a high-paying field with many openings. According to CNN Wire, only 2.4% of college graduates earn degrees in computer science-related fields. Even more specifically, there's a gap between white students with these skills and black and Hispanic students. Code.org reports that of the 3.5 million students who took the AP Computer Science exam in 2012, only 3,000 were black or Hispanic.