Initiative urges local pupils to '˜bring it on'

Belfast Met along with Sentinus is rolling out the Bring IT On roadshow to local post-primary schools, encouraging students to consider a career in IT.
Ballyclare High School pupils Aimee Hamilton, Josh Wilson and Lewis McDowell with Peter from Sentinus.Ballyclare High School pupils Aimee Hamilton, Josh Wilson and Lewis McDowell with Peter from Sentinus.
Ballyclare High School pupils Aimee Hamilton, Josh Wilson and Lewis McDowell with Peter from Sentinus.

The Department for the Economy funded programme visited students at Ballyclare High School recently.

The aim of Bring IT On is to educate young people about the many pathways into the IT sector via a series of talks and demos at their schools.

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Commenting on the initiative, Director of Curriculum at Belfast Met, Dr Jonathan Heggarty said: “Belfast Met is thrilled to be delivering the Bring IT On roadshow again this year in partnership with Sentinus.

“The college is a designated sector lead for IT and offers a range of courses that can lead to various career paths including cyber security, software development, computer game design and data analytics.

“There is a huge demand for people trained in IT at the moment – this trend is forecasted to continue and has grown by 32 per cent in the last five years. The salary for someone working in IT in Northern Ireland is on average 61 per cent higher than other industries.”

Sentinus CEO, Bill Connor, added: “Bring IT On gives students, parents and teachers up to date information on careers in the ICT sector and helps young people, who may not otherwise have considered a career in IT, make informed decisions about their own futures.

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“It highlights the growth of the area and the opportunities, and career prospects, within Northern Ireland, now and in the future.”

For more information about the Bring IT On programme and the range of IT courses available at Belfast Met, check out belfastmet.ac.uk, www.bringitonni.co.uk sentinus.co.uk or email [email protected]

Further information can also be found on the Bring It On Facebook and Twitter accounts.