A global company is opening its doors to public school students in Durham to provide young minds with an inside look at the world of technology.

More than a dozen middle schoolers on Monday visited the Google offices in downtown Durham to learn coding from the ground up.

The students spent the morning working and learning with Google employee volunteers.

Students here tell me they’ve taken some computer science classes at school, and this is their chance to put their skills to use.

Durham Mayor Leonardo Williams attended the event to encourage the students. He told WRAL News the event shows how Durham can use relationships with companies to connect young people to some of the best jobs available.

“There are folks coming from all over the world to work right here in Durham” Williams said. “We want to make sure our youth have that same opportunity, and if we can prepare them without having to travel all the way across the world it’s even better for us.”

Google employees said students learned the basics on Monday, opening up their computers and circuitry and working with volunteers to build those computers from scratch.

Students told WRAL News they’re excited to learn about all the opportunities a company like Google can offer and taking their experience outside the classroom.