Bracks Government Helping To Switch On Bendigo Teens To A Career In ICT

Bracks Government Helping To Switch On Bendigo Teens To A Career In ICT


Media release - 6 June 2007

Victorian teenagers in Bendigo will be hearing the real story about a future in ICT this Thursday, as part of the Victorian Government’s ICT: Start here. Go anywhere campaign, the Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Tim Holding said.

“The Bracks Government wants Victorian students to get genuine insight into how far study and a career in ICT can take them. So we are working with industry and the education sector to bring better information to our young people through a targeted campaign,” Mr Holding said.

“Recent attitudinal research suggests that while perceptions among young Victorians about ICT careers are improving, better ICT career information is what young people need to make technology their career of choice.

“The study, Attitudes to ICT Careers and Study among 14-19 year old Victorians, revealed that many teenagers continue to hold limited and stereotypical views about working in ICT, and these ideas tend to act as a barrier to students choosing tertiary-level ICT courses,” Mr Holding said.

“Forty per cent of those surveyed admitted they have little understanding about what working in ICT actually entails, however, these perceptions do seem ripe for change,” Mr Holding said.

“The Bracks Government’s interactive Upload Your Future sessions give students the chance to hear recent graduates and young industry professionals describe their experiences of technology courses and careers. Through these sessions, students are getting the facts first-hand from people in the field explaining how their studies have translated into a career.

“When the Bracks Government was re-elected last year, we re-committed to supporting students by giving them access to current technologies and information, and this program continues to deliver on that commitment.”

More than 1600 Victorian students attended Upload Your Future sessions in 2006, with more than three quarters (76 per cent) saying they would consider a career in ICT having heard what was on offer.

“The Australian Industry Group and the Australian Information Industry Association are leading the campaign and the Bracks Government is match-funding their contributions with $275,000 in this financial year,” Mr Holding said.

The campaign compliments the Bracks Government’s $1.9 million ICT skills package, which offers scholarships to talented ICT undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as grants for universities and TAFEs to develop strong industry links and offer additional on-the-job learning opportunities for students.

Upload Your Future sessions have already taken place this year in Geelong, Ballarat and Echuca, with further sessions scheduled to take place across regional Victoria, in Mildura, Benalla, Wodonga, Warrnambool, Shepparton and Gippsland. A further four sessions will be held this year in metropolitan Melbourne.

For more information about these events contact Anne Younger at the Ai Group on (03) 9867 0272.