Edmund Rice Students encouraged to study IT for rewarding career

A number of 6th form Edmund Rice College students represented their school at the “Bring IT On” Conference, aimed at encouraging more 16-18 year olds to consider studying IT at Further Education and Higher Education.

The event was recently held in Belfast at the Wellington Park Hotel on Tuesday 16th April. This annual event is run by e-skills UK, the Sector Skills Council for Business and Information Technology, in conjunction with Momentum, The Voice of the Digital Sector, Invest NI and the Department for Employment and Learning. This helps to focus learners on the numerous exciting opportunities available within the IT sector in Northern Ireland.

Department for Employment and Learning Permanent Secretary Alan Shannon, who provided an opening address at the conference, understands the importance of the sector, saying that: ”The Northern Ireland Economic Strategy sets out a vision to both rebuild and rebalance our local economy to create a modern, knowledge intensive, export driven economy. The ICT sector is a key component of this drive. There is a clear need to raise awareness and demonstrate the benefits of a career in the ICT sector to attract young people into these jobs and this is what events like this are all about.”

The conferences united hundreds of learners from over forty schools through a range of activities, including online quizzes and live interactive polling. Students also had the opportunity to engage with Junior Ambassadors who will provide an insight into the rewarding careers and opportunities that are available within the IT profession in NI. Students were able to engage directly with employers, learn about careers in NI’s fastest growing sector, examine and investigate how technology impacts and assists in our everyday lives, and also hear about future initiatives from leading industry technologists. Leading IT employers including Liberty IT, Cyber source, Kayos, Microsoft and Citi Group were present to bring students up to date with the opportunities available within NI, as will local FE providers and Universities.

Karen Price, CEO of e-skills UK, said: “It is always a pleasure to be involved in the National ICT Days. Northern Ireland has many able and enthusiastic young people and it’s great to see them learning more about the opportunities on offer in the IT sector. The choices they are making at this age will strongly affect their futures and these events help them make informed decisions about the options open to them.”