[Year 12 IT Apps] GDAA conference panel - advice

[Russell Edwards]

On 07/11/2007, at 1:35 PM, Adrian Janson wrote:
> The panel’s brief is to discuss the falling enrolments in ICT and  
> how to encourage students to undertake careers in the IT industry /  
> games industry.  I have some of my own ideas in this regard, but  
> wanted to take some of the ideas / suggestions of all of you to the  
> panel.  So – any advice or points to bring up – in the flavour of  
> ways in which we feel would ‘they’ can help us, would be greatly  
> appreciated!

Firstly, is it actually necessary to get more people to go into the  
career? Is there a shortage?  (The only reason I ask, is there's  
always this push to get people into science when in fact there's a  
surfeit of qualified scientists. Just making sure the same doesn't  
apply in IT and games development in particular.)

Secondly, I'd say the best way they could help us or themselves is to  
put on more holiday games development workshops. I have a couple of  
kids that I believe could really get into it given the right  
environment, but they are so used to school being a place where no  
work gets done that it's vital to get them to some place they perceive  
as "different". I tried to get mine into the Deakin workshops this  
year but all places were full by the time I submitted the  
applications.  An alternative could be to provide resources  
(curriculum materials and activity ideas, software/library licenses,  
etc.) for IT teachers to put on their own holiday workshops.

cheers

Russell