VITTA News

ICT & Careers Expo 2008: Getting girls to go for IT
Tue, Jul 15 2008

The Victorian Information Technology Teachers Association is pleased to announce that the ICT & Careers Expo is running again in 2008 as part of the National ICT Week. Supported by the Australian Computer Society and the Victorian Government, the ICT & Careers Expo aims to dispel the myths about Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) being ‘boring’ and ‘just for boys’ and will instead open up exciting opportunities for students to explore career pathways and ICT industry possibilities.

With ICT being one of the fastest growing career markets in Australia, this year the focus of the ICT & Careers Expo is on girls and encouraging them to get involved with technology. As Michelle Beveridge, Chairman of the Victorian ICT for Women’s Network points out “with a global ICT skills shortage and less than 16% of jobs held by women, opportunities for girls are excellent. Corporations want the cultural benefits that diversity brings in terms of productivity and innovation. Technology builds profits, saves lives, enables alternative energy sources, spreads knowledge and entertains. All this, and its fun as well!”

The ICT & Careers Expo will see a host of inspiring female speakers talking about such diverse fields as the automotive industry, multimedia, and programming as well as a special forum put on by the Victorian ICT for Women’s Network “From study to workplace: an ICT pathway for girls.” The panel will show girls that if they choose a future in ICT their options are numerous. Not only do they have a broad range of choice in terms of tertiary courses, from business to very technical degrees, their newfound skill set will also open them up to an incredible range of careers from fashion to finance to pharmaceuticals.

Tertiary and industry exhibitors will also be on hand at the Expo to chat to students about course opportunities and graduate positions.

There is an increasing need in the community provide insight into ICT career opportunities. ICT literacy is a key entry point into the competitive career marketplace and it is important for students to be aware of this. The ICT & Careers Expo provides students with the tools they need to make educated choices about their futures.

The VITTA ICT & Careers Expo will be held at Melbourne High School on Saturday 2nd August. For more information about the Expo and to download free tickets visit www.ictweek.vitta.org.au