Empower the Next Wave of ICT Professionals

30th June 2020

Highlights

  • Calling all ACS Queensland tech employers. 
  • Learn more about the ACS ICT Gateway to Industry Schools program and how you can connect with local schools across Queensland. 
  • Share your invaluable industry insights and experience for the next wave of ICT professionals.

The Gateway to Industry Schools Program (GISP) is a key industry engagement strategy for the Department of Employment Small Business and Training (DESBT), and aligns with the department's vision for all Queenslanders to have the skills and opportunities to participate and prosper in the economy. The program is proudly supported and funded by the Queensland Government and has been an important strategy for school to work pathways for 15 years.

 The program builds partnerships between schools and industries to enable young people to acquire the knowledge, skills and attributes to participate effectively in the Queensland economy. It also provides opportunities for industry and the education sectors to work together and deliver outcomes for students, local communities and businesses.

Each project is led by industry organisations which develop and implement tailored school engagement activities in line with their industry's key skills and workforce priorities. Industry organisations choose how the industry specific projects operate and the type and level of engagement with participating schools.

 The ACS successfully won the contract to deliver the ICT GISP, due in part to the existing network of ICT professionals, departments and organisations within the membership body and mailing list databases. The teacher training and outreach that ACS provides, which has successfully moved to an online webinar model, was another positive service that will seamlessly plug into the ICT GISP Service Plan.

 As well as the branches in capital Cities, ACS has Queensland chapters in Townsville, Rockhampton and the Gold Coast. In regional areas, schools will not have access to the large number of possible ICT Industry workers and companies that proliferate the SE corner of the state. We are committed to catering for students outside SE Qld, which means local Industry Partners willing to provide experiential opportunities to students and teachers. The potential sources for workplace experiences includes tech companies as well as large organisations with ICT Departments, like universities and banks.

How can you help?

ACS members and eNews subscribers have the power to positively impact the lives of our young people all over Queensland, especially in regional areas, by sharing details of the ICT GISP and encouraging ICT Industry players to partner with schools. The industry registration page can be found at https://qldictgisp.acs.org.au/partners.html.

Here are some ways you can help:

  1. Working in a regional area? Share with friends, colleagues, employers and managers. 
  2. Own an ICT business? Submit an expression of interest.
  3. Belong to a organisation with an ICT Department? Share with the department manager and your employer.
  4. Have colleagues or friends in ICT and working in regional areas? Send them the registration link.
  5. Belong to a network, such as business development or LinkedIn groups? Share at your next meeting or post the link.
  6. Know someone with connections to a large technology company or organisation with technology divisions? Send them a message to check out the ICT GISP Industry Partner page.

Enabling students and teachers to connect with industry professionals and experience industry workplaces is a central tenet of the Gateway program. Due to current workplace restrictions, this aspect of the program is severely restricted, however, when social distancing is relaxed, these activities can only be provided in partnership with ICT organisations from all over Queensland.

Other activities that Industry Partners can provide include webinar and live presentations, hosting class excursions, assisting teachers and students in class, running after school clubs, offering placements for work experience and judging competitions.

To find out more, contact Matthew Jorgensen, ACS’s ICT GISP Project Manager (matthew.jorgensen@acs.org.au) or visit the program’s website https://qldictgisp.acs.org.au/ 

 

 

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