One million computer programming jobs will go unfilled in the United States by 2020, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Schools across the country are taking part in a global initiative called Hour of Code in an effort to correct those statistics.

Students at Owego Apalachin Middle School are using a program called Blockly, which introduces coding in a user friendly way.

"Underneath the Blockly is real JavaScript and they can in some cases see what did that code really look like," says librarian for Owego Apalachin Middle School Sandy Stiles.

By exposing students to coding for an hour class period, school officials hope to spark an interest early, leading some students to go on to pursue high-paying and in-demand jobs in the programming and IT industry.

"Before this I didn't even know what it was," says Kaliana Bradbury a 7th grade student at Owego Apalachin Middle School.

After learning the basics, Bradbury says it has opened her mind to the possibility of coding as a career.

"I just love the science behind it," says Bradbury, "Just basically how they use ones and zeros to make this whole thing come to life."

This is the second year Owego Apalachin has taken part in Hour of Code. Stiles says the school has seen an increased interest among a few students who have chosen to learn coding weekly through a school club.