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Benalla students switched onto a career in ICT


News - 14 August 2009

Sixty secondary students from Benalla and surrounding areas heard all about the extensive and rewarding career opportunities available in ICT at an interactive Upload your Future session this week.

The students were split into groups at the Benalla Drill Hall and moved around various stations in a “speed dating” format. At each station they heard from a guest speaker in the industry who gave them an insight into just how far study and a career in ICT can take them.

A highlight of the day was an inspiring presentation on robotics from recent Deakin University graduate Matthew Watson who explained first-hand how his ICT studies translated into a rewarding career.

The students also enjoyed a hands-on presentation from NE Tracks where they were given the opportunity to create their own animated characters using a unique software package.

The message resonated throughout all presentations was that ICT skills open up a wide range of professional pathways for students, providing them with access to almost any industry.

Students from Benalla College, FCJ College, Ed Space, Mansfield Secondary College, Wallan Secondary College and Assumption College were represented at the event and all provided positive feedback from their experiences.

Upload your Future events have taken place this year in Warnambool, Mildura, Dandenong, Bundoora and Caulfield. Upcoming sessions will be in Mornington Peninsula and East Gippsland on 18 August and in Wodonga on 19 August. For more information on these sessions, email Helen.Paraskevlopoulos@diird.vic.gov.au

These events are a key part of the ICT: Start Here. Go Anywhere campaign, encouraging young people to join the growing and innovative field of ICT.

The campaign is one of the major initiatives under the Victorian Government's $1.85 million comprehensive ICT skills package, geared at boosting the number of ICT professionals in Victoria.