Firstly, please accept my apologies for any duplicate posts.<br><br><div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/935893876/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1282/935893876_83ef833c4e_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: 2px solid rgb(0, 0, 0);">
</a> <br> <span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> </span><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/plakboek/935893876/">ICT Expo at Xavier College
</a></span><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"> </span></div></div>VITTA supported <a href="http://ictweek.vitta.org.au/">ICT Week 2007 </a>with
an July Expo organised by Phil at Xavier College to help explore
Information Technology as a career. President Adrian opened the event
in the Great Hall. Later I helped chair a session by Peter from the
Australian Bureau of Meteorology who discussed many of the new and
growing career prospects and opportunities for our students. Imagine backing up a terrabyte of new data each day.<br><br>There
was quite a buzz amongst the different tables. I had a good chance to
make some new contacts, organise a guest speaker for my senior IT
students. The bundle of brochures and stories that I took back the next
day has certainly sparked some interest. Thank you everybody!<br><br>It is good that VITTA
is doing its part to help encourage students to consider an ICT career, yet .. there is probably more that we can do at school. A career in ICT can provide
an exciting opportunity to work with the latest technology, be part of
a growing industry with good pay. It is certainly not about sitting in
in front of a computer all day.<br><br>Multimedia Victoria is studying the <a href="http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/AttitudestoICTcareers">attitudes of 14 to 19 year olds towards ICT study and careers</a>.
Their research has been used to help encourage more young people to
study and work in the ICT field. Their recent research concludes that
the ICT sector needs an image make-over and schools can probably do
more to help. Whilst over 40 per cent of students surveyed admitting
they have little understanding about what working in ICT actually
entails, 13% of the students surveyed showed a strong interest.
Exposure to ICT in year 9 and 10 was more likely to interest them in
further study or a career in ICT. There is some excellent material in this report for IT teachers!<br><br>It is worth <a href="http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/uploads/downloads/Skills_careers/ICTSkillsResearchFINALPDF.pdf">downloading the PDF of their latest report
</a> for a read. <a href="http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/AttitudestoICTcareers">http://www.mmv.vic.gov.au/AttitudestoICTcareers</a> (RHS link)<br><br>-- <br>Roland Gesthuizen - ICT Coordinator - Westall Secondary College<br>
<a href="http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au">http://www.westallsc.vic.edu.au</a><br><br>"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed it is the only thing that ever has." --Margaret Mead