Computeach sponsor local education stars

The Mayor’s Civic Awards give people the chance to highlight those working tirelessly in their communities.

Councillor Michael Evans, Mayor of Dudley, said:

“I have been very lucky as Mayor of Dudley to meet some amazing people, who go about their business day after day without any recognition at all. These awards are our opportunity to say a huge thank you to them for all the work they do in making this a great place to live and work, and give them the recognition they truly deserve.

“This year we are working with a team of sponsors, who have all decided to back the awards and show their gratitude to the people who make them special.

“I hope people will take the time to nominate those who they believe are this borough’s unsung heroes.”

Andy Coleyshaw, MD of Computeach, said:

"We are delighted to be sponsoring the Thomas Attwood award for education this year. We’ve been based in Dudley for almost 50 years, so being able to support local initiatives like this is very fulfilling for us."

"As leaders in the field of IT training for career changers, this award fits perfectly with the passion we feel for helping people to learn and develop, young and old alike."

"We believe that it’s never too late for anyone to decide they would like their life to take a new direction. We also believe that the route to this is often through training and education. That’s why we take great pleasure in the difference we’ve made to thousands of our students. It’s also why we now look forward to congratulating the winner of this award and hearing how they, like us, continue to support learners toward a brighter and more fulfilling future."

Nominations must be in by 19 February and the winner and one runner-up in each category will be chosen in March. They will be presented with their prize – a trophy and a certificate by the Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Michael Evans, at a civic ceremony in March.

People can nominate online here or can pick up a nomination form from libraries across the borough from early next week. Alternatively contact communications and public affairs on 01384 814 449 for a form.

What can be done to improve IT in our schools....

One way which is often cited is to have ICT lessons include more aspects of technology which pupils use in real life, so they can see exactly where the skills they learn in schools would come in useful and what a wide range of potential interesting careers there are open to them.

One school doing just that is St Mathew Academy in Blackheath, South London, where pupils have been designing their own mobile phone apps, with the help of workers from real-life company Apps 4 Good.

Other suggestions from schools include blogging lessons and website building classes to show pupils the work which goes into using sites that they use and read daily.

However, it is not just IT specific jobs which pupils need educating about, it is also vital that schools highlight the role IT is increasingly playing in almost all careers, including teaching jobs, positions in the media and almost all office-based roles.

As a growing number of jobs depend on computing skills, today's children may struggle in the future if IT education is not improved.

IT Skills Shortage - Do Schools have a responsibility?

Much has been reported about a potential IT skills shortage in the coming years and it seems that this problem could be further exacerbated if more is not done to make IT more interesting and accessible within schools.

Chief Inspector Miriam Rosen said: "In a world that is becoming increasingly reliant on technology, young people need to be given the opportunity to learn ICT skills in an interesting, challenging and relevant way.  Schools should provide a range of ICT courses that are suitably matched to students needs, support them with their learning and prepare them for higher education and for skilled work in a technological age."

This is not the first time our schools have come under scrutiny from experts - in 2011 Google chairman Eric Schmidt said that he was unimpressed with IT teaching in UK's schools and last month the Department for Culture, Media and Sport published a report that found ICT teaching to be "insufficiently rigorous and in need of reform".

These could be some of the reasons why only 31,800 students took GCSE ICT in 2011 compared with 81,100 in 2007 - a marked 61% reduction.

So what should our schools be doing and who is doing it well?