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MOMENTUM’S NEW SCHOOLS INITIATIVE GIVES PUPILS INSIGHT INTO ICT

11 March 2009

Northgate Information Solutions first to sign up for Momentum’s Career Connections ProgrammeAn innovative new schools programme designed to encourage schoolchildren to consider a career in ICT has been officially launched by Momentum, Northern Ireland’s ICT Federation. The Career Connections programme offers pupils and teachers the opportunity to visit leading ICT organisations and to learn firsthand how ICT works in industry. The overall aim of the programme is to redress the current employee shortfall and to build a sustained workforce for the industry.

Designed and developed by Foyle School and Employer Connections (FOSEC), a North-West ‘broker’ organisation established to facilitate engagement between education and business sectors, the Career Connections Programme is supported by Invest Northern Ireland, the Department for Employment and Learning and e-skills UK.  It is part of the successful ‘BringITon’ brand and it is hoped to bridge the gap between education and industry by establishing effective partnerships between local companies and secondary schools.

The half-day visits have been designed to allow pupils and teachers to gain a more detailed insight into the businesses that operate within the ICT sector, the types of careers that the industry can offer and the qualifications that are required to maximise their potential as an IT professional.

Newtownabbey-based Northgate Information Solutions (Northgate), a leading supplier of specialist ICT services and solutions, is the first company to sign up to this innovative programme and will initially host four schools as part of the initiative.  The first school to visit Northgate was Belfast Royal Academy (BRA), with pupils and teachers given a tour of the facility and having the opportunity to listen to a number of staff explain their roles and their interaction with ICT and solution development.

Commenting on the programme, Dr Ian Graham, Chief Executive of Momentum said,

“The Career Connections Programme is an important initiative for Momentum.  It provides us with the opportunity to develop key partnerships between the ICT industry and schools but also to showcase the wide variety of career opportunities that exist within the sector to the next generation of ICT professionals as well as provide additional resources to their teachers.”

Dr Graham continued, “I am delighted that Northgate has decided to be part of this programme given its standing in the sector. It is only with this level of external support that the programme can be a success. By giving pupils insight into ‘real’ company life and showing them the options that exist, we make it possible for them to make informed decisions about their futures.”

Commenting at the launch of the Career Connections Programme, Ed Brown, Managing Director of Northgate and Chairman of Momentum said  “We are delighted to be working with Momentum as part of the Bring IT on Campaign.  As a leading IT company working with every school in Northern Ireland, we feel it is important to encourage young people into the industry. This has been an opportunity for us to promote ICT as a career choice and is important both for Northgate and all other organizations within the sector to attract talent into the industry to support continued growth in NI.  This first visit has been very successful and we look forward to working with other partner schools involved in the programme.”