Children considering
IT as a career want more interaction with businesses and say
hands-on experience would get more young people into the
profession.
The plea came after children from Emerson Park School in Essex
visited the
Extrasys
datacentre in London as part of their
ICT GCSE course. The group's
comments highlight concerns that the
number of young people considering careers in IT is falling,
leading to future difficulties for employers.
Tilly Travers, spokeswoman for IT sector skills council
E-Skills UK, said, "The impact of technology is changing the
way we live and work. This should make IT one of the most
exhilarating subjects to study, yet every year fewer people choose
to take computing at school."
E-Skills said that businesses could play a key role in helping
reverse the decline in young people considering IT as a
profession.
"We need to transform technology-related education, with courses
that bring out the relevance of IT to modern day lives. Industry
visits, work experience and real-world projects can provide a
stimulating perspective on IT," said Travers.
The children from Emerson Park School said schools and
businesses should join forces to show youngsters how IT works in
the real world.They also think more young people would get involved
if IT was made "more fun", and if they could see the relevance of
the subject to their everyday lives.
One pupil said, "Businesses should show children more of what
they are doing in IT."
Another said, "Seeing an IT working environment, with all the
gadgets and electronics that are being used, will get more of them
interested."
The internet is a big attraction for young people. All of the
students in the Emerson Park class said they used technology for
school work and to stay in touch with friends, listen to music,
shop and read the news. Also, they all acknowledged the level of
importance IT will have in the future.
One pupil said, "What first attracted me to IT is how much it
will help me in the future, because we will depend on it. At
school, it helps me keep track of what work needs doing."
The school has introduced personal e-learning accounts, which
allow pupils and staff to log in on any personal or school computer
and access educational materials. The system was installed by
Extrasys.
Skills shortage in
technology, warns IET >>
New starts in IT lack business acumen, says E-Skills UK
>>
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