Garron Tower students get in with the IT crowd

PUPILS from St Killian’s College attended an IT road show held at Queen’s University, Belfast, recently.

The fun and interactive Bring IT On initiative is aimed at providing information about the skills requirements and career opportunities within the IT sector in Northern Ireland, demonstrating the variety and attractiveness of a career in IT and offering guidance on the selection of appropriate subjects at GCE level.

The Carnlough students joined with counterparts from 10 other schools from across Northern Ireland to work in teams on ICT-related activities to compete for prizes.

Hosted on this occasion by Queen’s School of Electronics, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, the road shows are organised by Momentum, The ICT Federation for Northern Ireland, in collaboration with e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology, Invest NI and supported by The Department for Employment and Learning and Invest NI.

Ian Graham, CEO of Momentum, said he hoped the series of four road shows at various venues would dispel the myth that the IT profession is “just for geeks”.

“These fun and interactive events help to highlight the importance of maths and science and how these subjects underpin a successful and rewarding career in IT,” he explained.

Dympna Hannon, Northern Ireland manager for e-skills UK pointed out: “Research shows that demand for IT and telecoms professionals in Northern Ireland has doubled over the last year. It forecasts that the industry in Northern Ireland needs over 9,200 new entrants over the next five years to fulfil planned growth.”

n For more information on the Bring IT On programme see www.bringitonni.info or email [email protected]