Skills drive launched to make IT cool

Skills gap is widening as number of young people entering industry falls

The BigAmbition initiative aims to get more girls into IT

A campaign to persuade more young people to enter the IT industry was launched today with a particular focus on getting more girls to consider a career in the sector.

The BigAmbition project is the brainchild of IT skills body e-skills UK and is sponsored by the South East England Development Agency (SEEDA).

Karen Price, chief executive of e-skills UK, explained that there is a disconnect between students loving technology, gadgets and social media, and studying or pursuing a career in IT.

"What BigAmbition aims to get across to students is that all the technology they love is developed by people with careers in IT, and that they could have these careers and make a difference," she said.

Government statistics show that fewer and fewer young people are choosing to study IT, while the sector is growing rapidly and urgently needs more people to enter its workforce.

The campaign has launched an interactive web site with a wide range of content designed to engage and motivate students.

Julie Kapsalis, director of business support and enterprise at SEEDA, said that many children do not know enough about the opportunities available in IT.

"We need to ensure that information and advice is helping young people to make informed decisions on their career choices," she said. "IT is a fast-moving sector which has implications for us all, particularly in a changing economic environment."

Sony, Oracle, IBM, HP, Orange, LG and Microsoft are all backing the initiative.