Uploading your Future in Bendigo

Media release - 21 August 2006

Final-year secondary school students considering careers in Information and Communication Technology (ICT), can find out more about the industry at an interactive session in Bendigo on Thursday, Minister for Information and Communication Technology, Marsha Thomson said today.

The Upload Your Future session in Bendigo is one of 12 such events, held across Victoria as part of a targeted information campaign to demystify the growing and field of ICT.

Ms Thomson said that year 12 students and their parents would have the chance to hear recent graduates and industry representatives explain exactly what is involved in technology courses and the subsequent career prospects.

"There is a large variety of technology courses available, and these skills provide a flexible basis for a career in almost any industry - ranging from fashion to finance, from construction to communications," said Ms Thomson.

"We want our school-leavers to get the real story on just how far study and a career in ICT can take them. So the Victorian Government is working alongside industry and the education sector to put together a series of information sessions that will give students the facts about ICT from people out there in the field.

"We are so immersed in technology that we almost take it for granted; we message each other with our mobile phones, we have advanced medical imaging if we get sick, we listen to music on ipods, and when we look for information, we automatically turn to the internet.

"Technology is just as pervasive and varied in the workforce. The technology sector has expanded enormously over the past few years, and these skills now permeate a huge variety of professional settings. Over the past year, the number of ICT jobs has jumped 25 percent - and that means that graduates with the right technology skills are in huge demand," she said.

The campaign is led by an ICT Skills Working Group, formed in June this year. The group includes representatives from the technology sector, industry associations, individual businesses, all nine Victorian universities and several TAFEs, with the Victorian Government matching funding contributions dollar for dollar.

Spearheaded by two industry groups, the Australian Industry Group is coordinating the Upload Your Future sessions, and the Australian Information Industry Association (AIIA) is managing the marketing component of the campaign.

It is the first collaboration of its kind in Australia working to boost ICT skills.

The campaign follows a $1.9 million ICT skills package from the Victorian Government, released late last year. The package includes scholarships for talented ICT undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as grants for universities and TAFEs to develop strong industry links and offer additional industry-based learning opportunities for students.

The Bendigo event to Upload Your Future will be held Thursday August 24, 11am-1.30pm at the Bendigo Bank Theatrette, Capital Theatre, 50 View St.

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The Bendigo event to Upload Your Future will be held Thursday August 24, 11am-1.30pm at the Bendigo Bank Theatrette, Capital Theatre, 50 View St.

Technology careers on www.youthcentral.vic.gov.au.