e-skills UK and Microsoft bring excitement of IT to Diploma students
Last week, around 200 Diploma in IT students from 25 schools were given an insight into working in IT. The students spent a day at Microsoft’s London offices as part of an interactive event to show how exciting a career in IT can be.
Throughout the day, students heard from Microsoft employees who shared their experiences of working in IT and the importance of technology to the wider world. The students also had a chance to try out Microsoft’s Surface technology and to see Microsoft’s Deep Zoom and Photosynth in action.
As part of the event, the students were challenged to come up with the “next big idea” in technology, with suggestions ranging from a device for the kitchen that tells you what’s in the cupboard, to a multifunctional travel gadget with GPS. Newham College from East London was runner up and the winning idea came from West Sussex school Steyning Grammar, whose next big thing in IT was the “eco-kube”, a device aimed at lowering your carbon footprint by telling you if you’re using too much water or gas, and providing advice about how to be more eco-friendly.
Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK, who led the development of the Diploma in IT, said “This was a fantastic event and demonstrated how motivational the hands-on involvement of companies like Microsoft can be for young people. Giving IT Diploma students a chance to try out the latest technologies was very inspiring and showed them how what they are studying now applies to a real workplace environment.
“The continued decline in the number of students choosing IT-related A-levels and GCSEs highlights a serious issue for the UK. To compete in the technology intensive globalised economy, we need an inspiring curriculum in schools that attracts talented students into technology-related degrees and careers. We are proud to be working with leading employers to ensure that the Diploma in IT does just that.”