A NEW school model that promises to get students tech-ready to work for global giants like IBM is now taking enrolments at Federation College.
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The P-TECH (Pathways to Technology) course was launched in Ballarat on Monday, the program the first of its kind to be launched in Australia following the 2011 pilot program in New York.
About 30 students, entering Year 10 in 2016, will be accepted for the inaugural semester.
Students will have the opportunity to graduate with a secondary school and advanced diploma in six years or less.
Federation College director Shirley Fraser said the VCAL-alternative program would make students job-ready after studying STEM – science, technology, engingeering and mathematics.
IBM will be the industry partner in the program, which also includes one-on-one mentoring, workplace visits, paid summer internships with IBM Ballarat. Students will also have the opportunity to be first in line for job opportunities with the company.
Ms Fraser said the program would also help alleviate brain drain in Ballarat as it would give local employers the opportunity to meet and recruit student graduates.
“Research continues to show the immediate needs for investment in STEM education. It is critical to driving an innovative workforce, growing our knowledge-based economy and our productivity,” she said.
P-TECH teacher Andrew Orr said currently, there was a huge gap between students taking on vocational training past Year 10 and those entering academia. He said P-TECH bridged the gap.
He also said it was exciting for a regional centre like Ballarat to get the opportunity first. Geelong will launch a Year 9 program in 2017.
Mr Orr said it wasn’t just tech-savvy students that would be interested, as the program focused on a range of job opportunities.
IBM Australia and New Zealand managing director Kerry Purcell said P-TECH meant years before young people were knocking on company doors for jobs, they would already have the skill set needed to be industry-ready and employable.
He said the model was part of IBM’s philanthropic and social responsibility program, with the Federation University model delivered in conjunction with Skilling Australia and the Victorian Government.
By September 2016, more than 60 P-TECH schools will be set up across the United States.
Skilling Australia Foundation CEO Nicholas Wyman said he brought P-TECH to Ballarat after going on a Churchill Fellowship tour, looking for a way to engage regional Victorian students.