Pumping steam: opportunities to enrich computer science education for your children--and yourself.

• Author: Kinder, Peri
• Position: Technology

Phenomenal growth in Utah's tech industry continues to garner national attention. But even with great benefits and opportunities, and some serious geek cred, companies in Utah are having a hard time filling thousands of vacancies.

"We have great universities and fantastic technology roots, but if we want to accommodate all the growth, we're not keeping up," says Sara Jones, co-founder of Women Technology Council (WTC). "Utah is really struggling to find technology talent."

The seeds of a strong talent harvest are planted in elementary school--but most schools don't offer a robust computer science curriculum. In fact, computer science courses are offered in only half of Utah high schools. With more than 41,000 AP exams taken in Utah last year, only 129 were for computer science, and only 12 of those computer science tests were taken by girls.

What if you're a parent who wants to foster computer skills in your children? Or what if you want to broaden your own knowledge of computer science and coding--either to deepen your skill set or to switch careers? Utah is home to a variety of platforms available to help people find their tech niche.

From the ground up

Paul Pilzner's daughter was struggling in math in an environment he says segregated students by their ability to learn the curriculum, instead of teaching kids how to learn the concepts.

"Teachers are really failing at teaching math," Pilzner says. "Learn how the child learns. Make everything a concept they understand. The world our children grow up in is a black box and they've never been taught how it works."

Pilzner says he built the "world's best math program" and opened Zaniac in Park City in 2011. His process assesses what kids already know and measures progress as each new concept is introduced. "I very quickly learned it was a great business model, but there was no possibility for repeat customers."

Zaniac quickly evolved to offer more advanced STEM education for children in grades K-8. Students start with math concepts and move onto doing lines of code, physics and robotics competitions. The curriculum changes rapidly to keep up with advances in technology, incorporating game-based learning, game design and more.

Children are tested before and after each class to make sure they understand concepts before moving to the next challenge. Pilzner says once kids realize how math works, it isn't scary or intimidating anymore.

The best part of Zaniac is the instructors. In fact, Pilzner...